While speculation about the reason behind Kyrie Irving’s reported trade request has run rampant over the past few weeks, one man might have a unique insight into why the 25-year-old asked the Cleveland Cavaliers to ship him out of town.
Former Cavs general manager David Griffin appeared on ESPN’s “The Jump” on Monday, and he broke down why he believes the four-time NBA All-Star no longer wishes to lace up his sneakers at Quicken Loans Arena.
“I think this is a guy who wants to know how good he can be,” Griffin said. “And Dave (McMenamin), you know this as well as anyone, LeBron (James) casts a very large shadow over an organization, and most of it is really really positive, you know you’re expected to win a championship by way of example.
“But what that doesn’t always allow is for a player like Kyrie to test his boundaries a little bit, and see how good he can really be, and can I really be the front man of a team like that. And again, the team’s on his list, Gordon Hayward in Boston and Kawhi Leonard in San Antonio, he would be accompanying other great players, it’s not like he’s asking to go lead a rag-tag bunch. He just wanted to put himself in a position where he can find out exactly what he has as a 25-year-old entering his prime.”
Reports have surfaced that Irving and James aren’t getting along, but if Griffin has his finger on the pulse of the former No. 1 overall selection, then the request comes due to Irving’s desire to be more than a footnote in James’ legacy, and not out of a sour relationship with the superstar forward.
While Griffin believes Irving will be traded, the Cavs’Â hefty asking price could keep him in Cleveland for the 2017-18 campaign.
Thumbnail photo via Ken Blaze/USA TODAY Sports Images
