LeBron James is without a doubt one of the best players in the world. His greatness on the floor is so influential that most, if not all, players in the league want to play with him. Well, unfortunately, this is not the case with Kyrie Irving.
The Cleveland Cavaliers point guard just announced his request to be traded. His reason? He no longer wants to play alongside LeBron James, as he aims to be the focal point of a team. He even revealed the teams he wants to be part of.
James stand on Irving getting traded
The King is known to be the kind of superstar whose influence goes beyond the court.
He helps shape an organization in terms of roster building, dictating terms and whatnots. Therefore, one can expect for him to do the same regarding Irving’s departure. He might be the guy needed to keep the All-Star point guard from leaving Cleveland. But alas, this not going to happen, as James has no intentions of being that guy.
According to ESPN, LeBron James intends to let the Cavaliers front office and its owner Dan Gilbert take the lead in dealing the trade request of Irving. Both of them were reportedly shocked by Irving’s decision. Although James was informed about the point guard’s request, he had no idea about the emotional aspect of the player. Interestingly, Irving was said to have opened up about the meeting to other teammates in the team, except for James.
James is more focused on other things
As the Cleveland Cavaliers consider their options concerning Irving, LeBron James has reportedly expressed his decision not to intervene with the process. He is said to be more focused on his offseason workout regimen, Kwese reported. He is even more convinced to go straight to training camp and lead his team to a fourth consecutive Finals appearance – regardless of the people involved in the team.
This is not a surprising move from LeBron James. For the better part of his career in the league, he has always been informed and asked out about his opinions. Sure, he leaped forward to reach out to potential players, hoping to have them on his team, but as far as decision making, he did not become the leader of the discussion.
It holds true, though, that he can influence the front office decisions. Irving’s departure is a dagger to the team, considering how they lost Paul George and Jimmy Butler. These were players that the organization had so much interest in. Now that Irving is leaving, there are doubts if the Cleveland Cavaliers still has the cards to become title contenders against the Golden State Warriors.
