National Basketball Association (NBA) fans have been buzzing after Kyrie Irving left the Cleveland Cavaliers. The team got Isaiah Thomas in the trade along with Jae Crowder, Ante Zizic and the Brooklyn Nets' 2018 first-round pick. Kevin Durant of the Golden State Warriors claims to know just why Irving decided to opt out of Cleveland.
In a podcast for The Ringer, the reigning NBA Finals Most Valuable Player shared his thoughts as to what could have influenced the three-team trade.
In the past three years that Lebron James and the Cavaliers entered the NBA Finals, they have only garnered one championship and according to Durant, Irving could possibly be tired of playing James' sidekick on and off the court.
Irving still had two years left on his contract with the Cavaliers and he is very much still improving as a player in terms of his skills and basketball acuity.
However, James will be entering unrestricted free agency after the NBA's next season, which leads Durant to believe that Irving wouldn't be interested in waiting for James' decision to stay or go. Additionally, James is already getting older, and logically, his skills and leadership could wane in the next few years.
It could have been all of these factors that influenced Irving's decision to be traded out of Cleveland. He didn't want to waste the years at his peak physical condition on too much uncertainty. After all, at the end of the day, the NBA is all about the business of winning championships.
Perhaps Cleveland's acquisition of Thomas is a blessing in disguise. According to Fan Sided, the Boston Celtics' team members did not like Thomas very much.
Professional sports analyst Chris Broussard described the Celtics' perception of Thomas to be egotistical. Rumors are not a new thing in any professional sports — if anything, these rumors keep the fans interested.
Everyone will just have to wait and see how the new roster changes play out once the regular season of the NBA begins.
