Report: LeBron James won’t intervene in Kyrie Irving trade talks

If Kyrie Irving insists on forcing the Cleveland Cavaliers to trade him this offseason, LeBron James is reportedly not going to try to stop it from happening.

According to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst, LeBron plans to let Cavs owner Dan Gilbert and the team’s front office handle anything that involves Irving’s recent trade demand. Windhorst was told by sources that LeBron only found out about Irving’s meeting with the team after it took place, whereas Irving told other teammates about it ahead of time.

Here’s more:

As the Cavs consider their options, sources said James has expressed to the team that he is focused on his offseason workout regimen and is planning to report to training camp with the intention of leading his teammates to a fourth consecutive Finals — no matter who those teammates are.

This follows the pattern James has taken with the Cavaliers in recent years. James is always kept aware of the franchise’s moves and sometimes will reach out to potential new players to discuss the team but hasn’t wanted to be a leader in those decisions.

A lot has been made of LeBron supposedly being unhappy with the way things have gone in Cleveland this offseason, and you can understand why. The Cavs were reportedly close to acquiring at least one star player before they parted ways with GM David Griffin, whom James has supported publicly.

One of the reasons Irving reportedly wants to be traded is that he no longer wants to play with LeBron. If that’s true, it’s no surprise James has no intention of talking his teammate out of it.