Kyrie Irving Reportedly Asks Cavaliers To Trade Him
BOSTON (CBS) -- Just when you thought the NBA offseason was slowing down a bit, the soap opera rolls on in Cleveland.
Cavaliers point guard Kyrie Irving has reportedly asked for a trade, according to ESPN's Brian Windhorst. Irving reportedly made the request at a meeting with team officials last week.
Irving's agent told ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski that there was indeed a meeting about the player's future, but he did not disclose any specifics about the conversation.
"Kyrie and I had a meeting with Cavs leadership where we discussed many different scenarios in reference to Kyrie and his future with the team," Jeff Wechsler told Wojnarowski. "The basis of those discussions and what went on in those discussions are between the Cavs and us. We are respectfully going to keep those private."
Irving was the No. 1 overall pick by the Cavaliers in 2011 has been a critical piece to Cleveland's success in recent years next to LeBron James and Kevin Love, making it to three straight NBA Finals. The trio's lone championship came last season, sandwiched between a pair of defeats to the Golden State Warriors.
It's been a somewhat discouraging offseason for the Cavs, with rumors of James' future departure swirling. Now it appears Irving wants out in hopes of becoming the main focus of another team.
"The request came last week and was made to Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert. Irving has expressed that he wants to play in a situation where he can be more of a focal point and that he no longer wants to play alongside LeBron James, sources said," writes Windhorst.
This is all great news for the Boston Celtics, who finished as the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference before getting demolished by the Cavs in the conference finals. Boston greatly improved their odds against the Cavaliers by signing All-Star Gordon Hayward, while Cleveland hasn't done much to improve their current roster or close the gap between themselves and the defending champion Warriors.