Kyrie Irving’s desire to leave the Cleveland Cavaliers might have been going on for longer than anyone thought.
It was reported Friday that Irving met with Cavs brass recently to tell them he wanted out so he could be a focal point on another team and stop living in LeBron James’ shadow. But TNT analyst David Aldrige reported Saturday that Irving actually let the team know in June and that former Cavs general manager David Griffin was trying to arrange something big before leaving the organization.
“Another league source said that Irving made his initial trade request before last month’s draft, in hopes of being traded to Chicago and playing with All-Star swingman Jimmy Butler,” Aldrige wrote. “Just before Griffin and the team decided to part ways, Griffin had been working on a three-team deal that would have brought Butler to the Cavs.”
The Chicago Bulls traded Butler to the Minnesota Timberwolves for Kris Dunn, Zach LaVine and the seventh overall pick on the night of the draft, so obviously, that didn’t work out. Interestingly enough, though, the T-Wolves reportedly are on Irving’s list of preferred destinations, along with the New York Knicks, San Antonio Spurs and Miami Heat.
Thumbnail photo via Joshua Dahl/USA TODAY Sports Images
