Kyrie Irving isn’t as willing to rehash the past as LeBron James seems to be.
The Boston Celtics point guard declined to address James’ assertion he protested the blockbuster 2017 trade, which sent Irving to Boston and deprived James of his top sidekick. James revealed in an article The Athletic’s Joe Vardon published Monday he implored Cavaliers general manager Koby Altman not to trade Irving, especially to the Celtics, their Eastern Conference rivals.
Reporters asked Irving about James’ revelation Monday, but the Celtics star wasn’t interested in discussing it.
“I think I’m done commenting on anything in Cleveland or anything that would be disrespectful,” Irving said, per The Boston Globe’s Gary Washburn. “Because at this point, where I’m at with my career, it seems like, not a distant memory. … I appreciate lessons I’ve learned and I’m just ready to move forward.”
The Cavs on Aug. 22, 2017 traded Irving to the Celtics for Isaiah Thomas, Jae Crowder, Ante Zizic and the Brooklyn Nets’ 2018 first-round pick (which they later used to draft Collin Sexton at No. 8 overall).
Irving since has been a hit during his season-plus in Boston, and the Celtics are primed for present and future success.
James returned the Cavs to the NBA finals last season, without Irving, but left the team for the Los Angeles Lakers in free agency.
That’s it in a nutshell, if you let Irving tell it, but the story is far more interesting than he’ll let on.
