NBA
Is Kyrie Irving Unhappy in Cleveland?
Updated15 Oct 2021
Rumors of Kyrie Irving wanting to leave the Cleveland Cavaliers were quite prevalent several years ago, although the rumblings disappeared for the most part in 2014. That’s when the Cavaliers managed to sign LeBron James and trade for Kevin Love, while also inking Irving to a five-year extension worth $90 million.
The ‘Irving-wants-out’ narrative vanished once it was clear that Cleveland was a legitimate championship contender and Irving was one of the squad’s most important players.
And just in case the lucrative extension and star-studded roster weren’t enough, the Cavaliers also parted ways with Dion Waiters, who butted heads with Irving and reportedly even had a physical confrontation with him. The Cavs’ brass was determined to get rid of any behind-the-scenes drama surrounding the team, which is also one reason why David Blatt was replaced at head coach by Ty Lue.
Everything seemed to be fine in Cleveland; they were coming off of an NBA Finals trip, their star players re-signed over the summer to remove any free agency distractions and the team once again sits atop the Eastern Conference standings this season with a 41-17 as of this writing.
However, rumors of Irving being disgruntled have returned. This morning, ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith stated on First Take that he has heard Irving would still like to get out of Cleveland.
“Dating back to last year, I’ve been told that Kyrie Irving ain’t too happy being in Cleveland,” Smith said on First Take. “The situation is not ideal for him. I don’t know the particulars, I haven’t spoken to him personally. It’s something that I’ve been hearing for months; that under ideal circumstances he would prefer to be someplace other than Cleveland.”
Take this with a grain of salt since Smith stated that he hasn’t talked to Irving personally and admits it’s just something he has heard (without elaborating on how his sources have knowledge of Irving’s thinking). But it is worth noting that Smith has gotten some big NBA stories right before. For example, he was one of the first people to predict that LeBron James and Chris Bosh would be joining Dwyane Wade in Miami back in 2010.
Smith has been wrong before (anyone who works in the business of sharing rumors has) and he is known for his hyperbole and hot takes. But some of his reports contain elements of truth, which is why this particular comment is so interesting.
Given Irving’s past of being disgruntled with the Cavaliers, it’s not a stretch to believe he could be eyeing greener pastures. Also, some comments that have come out of Cleveland this season paint a picture of a team that isn’t having much fun even as they dominate in the East.
Just recently, Anderson Varejao praised the Golden State Warriors for their excellent chemistry and how much fun they have as a group. This was largely viewed as a shot at the Cavaliers, who had just traded Varejao several days earlier.
“I’m glad I came here, because I can tell they love each other,” Varejao told CSN Bay Area. “That’s what it’s about. When you want to win, you have to be like they are. Friends that have fun out there, have fun in the locker room. I’ve been here for a couple hours, but I can tell. I can tell this group, they love each other.”
James seemed bothered by the quote, firing back at Varejao: “I would hope if you’re 50-5 that everyone loves each other, I mean, s—. What else do you want at that point? Duh.”
Some of the most interesting comments on Cleveland’s culture came from general manager David Griffin during the team’s press conference to announce that Blatt had been fired.
Griffin said that with the Cavaliers “there’s a lack of spirit and connectedness” and pulled the curtain back on a team that seems pretty dysfunctional. Check out these quotes from Griffin:
“I’m focusing on a bigger picture in my evaluation and I’m really trying to decide, ‘Are we working toward a championship and are we building a championship culture?’ And really, most importantly for me, ‘Are our hearts, minds and souls in what we’re doing? Are [we] all all-in on this? Are we really trying to achieve something as a unit or are we a collection of individuals?’ And what I see if that we need to build a collective spirit, a strength of spirit and a collective will.”
“We are a team, unfortunately, that struggles more than any good team I’ve ever been with – and this is my 24th year in the NBA – with prosperity. I’ve never seen a locker room not be as connected after wins as they need to be. We’ve only been galvanized when expectations were not high and circumstances were somewhat artificial. Otherwise, we’ve been a group of tremendous individual talent with individual hopes and dreams. That’s not a winning formula. I’m not leaving an unprecedented team payroll and all of the efforts of everybody that works in this organization to chance.”
“We have to have group buy-in and team-first habits in order to become the team that we intend to be.”
Sources close to the situation have described the Cavaliers’ locker room as “miserable” at times, even when the team is having success. Part of the problem, according to sources, is that James is an extremely demanding leader and has a strong sense of urgency since he’s 31 years old, in his 13th season and has a ton of basketball miles on his body.
This intensity can be a good thing, as he has led his teammates to work harder and play to their full potential. However, it has also led to some issues, especially since James is at a different stage of his career than many of Cleveland’s other key contributors. Remember, players like Irving (23 years old), Love (27 years old) and Tristan Thompson (24 years old) among others are much younger and they can afford to be a bit more patient when it comes to winning a ring. Each of these players just got their first taste of the postseason last year, so it’s hard for them be as driven as James in his quest to bring the Larry O’Brien trophy to Cleveland.
It’s unclear if Irving is actually unhappy or – if he is – why exactly he wants out. But his history of disliking the city of Cleveland, the fact that he’s playing in James’ shadow to some extent and the comments made by people like Varejao and Griffin do lend credence to Smith’s rumor.
Irving is under contract with the Cavaliers through at least the 2018-19 season, with a player option for the 2019-20 campaign. That means Irving has little leverage if he does indeed want to leave Cleveland, with his only real option being to demand a trade (although the Cavs can refuse to comply).
Still, this is an intriguing rumor and one that will likely be talked about quite a bit moving forward. Basketball Insiders will keep you updated with the latest information surrounding Irving’s future and what the All-Star point guard has to say in response to Smith’s report.
UPDATE: Following last night’s game, Kyrie Irving responded to Stephen A. Smith’s report.
“There’s nothing to really address,” Irving said, according to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin. “Obviously there’s going to be some misunderstandings; it’s part of being on a team. For me, as a maturing young player in this league, I know what we have and the opportunity we have in order to be something special. My communication is open with all of my teammates, just knowing what’s going on and how I feel about things.
“For me, all that other stuff, what everyone is going to say, they’re going to pick one player, it’s going to change every single week. When they think that we’re down and out, they’re going to choose one player, so, for me, it has no effect on my life or what’s going on. It’s all about winning and winning a championship for Cleveland.”
