LeBron more or less runs the Cavs.
If LeBron said don’t trade Kryie I am going to be here for the rest of my career, and I feel we can win championships together, Kyrie would still be on the Cavs, but that isn’t what LeBron said.
Irving and his agent, Jeff Wechsler, sat down with Gilbert on July 9 in The Vault at Quicken Loans Arena. In the meeting, they pressed Gilbert, sources say, about the future of James. Gilbert, in turn, asked Irving for desired trade destinations, and Wechsler rattled off San Antonio, New York, and Minnesota.
Boston was not mentioned, but, league sources confirm, Gilbert later became keenly interested in securing the rights to Brooklyn’s 2018 first-round pick, which the Celtics had acquired in the 2013 trade that sent Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce to the Nets. When Gilbert, who declined to be interviewed for this story, was presented with the Celtics as a trade partner for Irving, he went to LeBron and tried to secure a pledge from his franchise player to remain beyond the 2017-18 season. James, team and league sources confirm, wouldn’t commit.
No one knows what LeBron is going to do in the offseason; a lot will depend on how the season ends for the Cavs, if it ends prematurely or another quick exit in Finals, don’t be shocked if he bolts.