LeBron James welcomes Derrick Rose, reportedly ‘eager’ for Kyrie Irving to leave

LeBron James seems excited about the Cleveland Cavaliers’ latest signing, and it’s fair to wonder if that excitement has been magnified based on recent events surrounding the team.

Derrick Rose agreed to a one-year deal with Cleveland on Monday, and LeBron was quick to give the point guard a nice big welcome on social media.

Let's Rock G!!

— LeBron James (@KingJames) July 24, 2017

Initially, it appeared Rose was going to be a bench player for the Cavs. He is reportedly signing for the veteran minimum of $2.1 million, so that could still be the case. However, Cleveland could have an opening at starting point guard in the very near future with Kyrie Irving wanting to be traded.

According to Joe Vardon of Cleveland.com, LeBron is “eager” to see the Cavs trade Irving. James has always gone out of his way to talk publicly about what a special player Irving is, but Kyrie is apparently tired of playing second fiddle to LeBron. Rose, who needs to prove he can stay healthy, is a former NBA MVP who is still only 28. He couldn’t ask for a better opportunity coming off yet another significant knee injury.

There’s no telling if LeBron would have been as excited for the Rose signing before Irving requested a trade, or if the Cavs would have even been interested. But after the report we shared with you about how angry LeBron is at Kyrie, you can understand why he’s excited to usher in a new era.