Kyrie Irving: "Cavs didn't want me there". LeBron James: "That makes absolutely no sense"

Kyrie Irving spoke with ESPN about his departure from Cleveland.

The point guard was traded to the Boston Celtics during the summer.

Per ESPN, What they didn’t know was Cleveland had explored trading Kyrie in June, long before he asked out, a fact conveniently omitted when word of his demand leaked. Irving made the decision to remain silent while the details of his request were, in his word, “distorted.” “I didn’t feel the need to say anything because I knew the truth, and so did they,” he says. “So it didn’t matter what others said.”

Still, for a split second, Irving winces, as though someone has pricked him with a pin. “They didn’t want me there,” he says. 

Seven days later in Cleveland, James has just put the finishing touches on a win over Atlanta, the Cavaliers’ 15th victory in their past 16 games. He conveys through the Cleveland public relations staff that he has already addressed Irving’s departure and will decline to answer questions regarding their relationship. Now, as he stands near his locker at Quicken Loans Arena, he’s asked about Irving’s contention that the Cavs didn’t want him. “That makes absolutely no sense,” James declares.