On Thursday, ESPN's Dave McMenamin wrote about the post-trade deadline Cavs, while also bringing up questions facing the franchise. In the piece, McMenamin recorded how the team's management got together on the day of the 2017 NBA Draft, where they talked about Kyrie Irving's future with the Cavs.
This was before Irving made it publicly known that he wanted to move on from the franchise. The contents of this discussion made their way back to Irving, and the entire thing apparently served as the "tipping point" that made the five-time All-Star want to get out of Cleveland; he formally requested a trade roughly two weeks later. For those who want details on just what the team's brass was discussing, here's the gist, according to McMenamin:
The discussion, characterized as “small talk” by one source familiar with its content, was less a formal straw poll of what the Cavs should do with their All-Star point guard should trade opportunities present themselves, and more of a thought exercise anticipating what the market could bear for a player of Irving’s caliber.
Additionally, a source speaking to McMenamin described the talks as "sloppy," due to the fact that the convo wasn't more discreet.
In January, Irving said the truth about his exit from Cleveland was "distorted." Public consensus appears to be that Irving wanted to get out from under LeBron's shadow. That could very much still be true, but this new revelation at least adds a new layer to Irving's desire for a trade.
