Kyrie Irving has asked the Cleveland Cavaliers to explore the possibility of trading him, and not wanting to play with LeBron James appears to be his motivation for the request. Some of that likely has to do with LeBron stealing the spotlight, but apparently Irving isn’t thrilled with the way things have gone on the court, either.
Some of ESPN’s best reporters provided a behind-the-scenes look at how the Cavs got to the point they’re at with Irving. Included in the piece was this tidbit about Irving being unhappy that he doesn’t have the ball in his hands more.
Much of Irving’s disenchantment with James was rooted in game play, sources said. James, as a once-in-a-lifetime talent, controlled the ball more than any other forward perhaps in league history. Which means the ball was out of Irving’s hands more than he preferred. That said, Irving led the Cavs in shots in the 2016-17 season, averaging 1.5 more per game than James, and Irving averaged a career-high 25.9 points. It was the first time in James’ career he didn’t lead his team in shots per game.
There is some off-court stuff, too. According to the report, Irving is bothered that LeBron’s close friend Randy Mims holds a position on the Cavs’ staff and travels on the team plane, while none of Irving’s confidants are allowed to do the same.
At one point, it seemed like the only way Irving would want out of Cleveland was if LeBron planned to leave again following the 2017-2018 season. Now, there are reportedly a number of teams Irving would want to play for just to get away from James. The offseason could be on the verge of disaster for Cleveland.
