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Cleveland Cavaliers: Revisiting the LeBron James and Kyrie Irving fallout

By Tony Pesta

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 (Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images)
Kyrie Irving LeBron James Cleveland Cavaliers (Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images) /

Conclusion

To many, it may seem as if the Cavaliers had no choice but to trade Kyrie Irving as he was adamant about being shipped away from the team. However, there have been a number of All-Star players that requested trades, only to never be traded.

For example, Kobe Bryant asked the Los Angeles Lakers to trade him in 2007, yet the Lakers refused to give up an asset as valuable as Bryant. Instead, Los Angeles fought to bring in more talent in order to keep Bryant satisfied. Three seasons later, the Lakers were celebrating back-to-back championships with Kobe as their Finals MVP.

Could the Cavaliers have had this same luck if they had chosen to not trade Irving? Was it possible for LeBron James and Irving to repair their relationship through the course of the 2017-18 season, or was this dynamic doomed from the start?

Seeing as how it has only been a year and a half since the trade and Irving has already formally apologized to James for his childish behavior, it seems unlikely these two stars couldn’t have resolved their problems while playing on the same team.

At the time of Irving’s trade, he still had two seasons left in his contract, meaning Irving wasn’t going anywhere for quite some time unless the Cavaliers traded him. In my opinion, the front office was too quick to trade away someone who was so crucial to their team’s success.

Next. Cleveland Cavaliers: 7 blockbuster trades for Kevin Love. dark

Perhaps choosing to keep Kyrie would have led to LeBron James re-upping with the team and the Cavaliers would still be competing for championships. In contrast, maybe James and Irving were going to split up either way. Regardless, I think taking the chance on retaining Irving and LeBron would have been better than what the Cavaliers are currently dealing with.

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