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Kyrie Irving wanted the Cleveland Cavaliers to exchange it in the summer of 2017 because he no longer wanted to play alongside LeBron James.
The feeling was not reciprocal.
According to Joe Vardon of The Athletic, James made it clear during a phone call with Cavaliers General Manager, Koby Altman, on August 22, 2017 – the day it was announced that Cleveland had agreed to pass Irving to the Celtics of Boston – that the team should not distribute the All-Star points guard.
"James was adamant about the call – do not swap Irving, especially with the Celtics," wrote Vardon in an article published Monday. "At the end of the call, according to four separate accounts of people present for the conversation, Altman told James that the trade would not happen."
Obviously, the Cavs did not consider James's advice. Instead, they traded Irving to the Celtics against Isaiah Thomas, Jae Crowder, Ante Zizic and the 2018 first-round pick of the Brooklyn Nets (later used to refer to Collin Sexton in eighth place).
As fate would have it, the Celtics and Cavaliers finally clashed in last season's Eastern Conference finals, despite a cast rotation in Cleveland and late-season injury to Irving and his compatriot Gordon Hayward. And the Cavs came out victorious in seven games. But now, the Cs are well positioned to win future success with Irving, while the Cavs hold the worst NBA record thanks to the departure of James, who signed with the Los Angeles Lakers in an independent agency this summer.
"Everyone knows that when Kyrie was traded, it was the beginning of the end for everything. It's no secret, "said James, according to Vardon.
It is impossible to say what would have happened if the Cavs had not accepted Irving's request for an exchange. Perhaps an agreement was inevitable, the real misstep being Cleveland's willingness to press for a dubious deal with a rival of the conference. After all, Irving wanted to go out. As simple as that.
But James was obviously not happy with the Cavs' decision to trade Irving, which, with hindsight, probably sealed the deal he made on his second Cleveland outing. And the Cavs could now spend time in the basement after several seasons among the elite of the NBA.
Miniature photo via Ken Blaze / USA TODAY Sports Images
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