Cleveland Cavaliers: Revisiting the LeBron James and Kyrie Irving fallout

BOSTON, MA - FEBRUARY 11: Lebron James #23 of the Cleveland Cavaliers reacts with Kyrie Irving #11 of the Boston Celtics during the first quarter of a game at TD Garden on February 11, 2018 in Boston, Massachusetts. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Adam Glanzman/Getty Images)
BOSTON, MA - FEBRUARY 11: Lebron James #23 of the Cleveland Cavaliers reacts with Kyrie Irving #11 of the Boston Celtics during the first quarter of a game at TD Garden on February 11, 2018 in Boston, Massachusetts. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Adam Glanzman/Getty Images) /
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Kyrie Irving LeBron James Cleveland Cavaliers (Photos by D. Clarke Evans/NBAE via Getty Images)
Kyrie Irving LeBron James Cleveland Cavaliers (Photos by D. Clarke Evans/NBAE via Getty Images) /

The Fallout

The details behind Kyrie Irving’s request to be traded are still slightly uncertain. Rumors range from Irving hearing about a previous trade proposal made from LeBron James’ camp that included Irving, to Kyrie actually threatening surgery if the team did not trade him that summer.

Regardless, the deal made with the Boston Celtics ultimately ended an era in Cleveland. Irving was traded for basically nothing, as the only asset that was kept by Cleveland was the draft pick they used to select Collin Sexton in the 2018 NBA Draft. But at that point, James had likely already decided he was leaving the franchise yet again.

As more information comes out about this situation, it seems more and more like the Cavaliers could have avoided this outcome. In a feature with The Athletic‘s Joe Vardon, James spoke on how he was blindsided by the Irving trade and that the firing of David Griffin confirmed to him that Dan Gilbert was the one making the moves behind the scenes.

Perhaps the best proof of this comes in a direct quote from James. In the feature with Vardon, James stated “Everyone knows that when Kyrie got traded it was the beginning of the end for everything. It’s not a secret.”

Once the front office pulled the trigger on that Boston trade, the writing was on the wall for James. As the subsequent playoffs would prove, James stood no chance of winning a title without a player like Irving next to him. As a result, he signed a four-year deal with the Los Angeles Lakers.