LeBron has been hands off with the Cavaliers this offseason.
Not even the potential of a Kyrie Irving deal has broken his level of indifference.
Somewhat telling i’d say. ESPN’s Brian Windhorst has the details.
LeBron James intends to let the Cleveland Cavaliers front office and owner Dan Gilbert take the lead in dealing with Kyrie Irving’s trade demands, sources told ESPN. Both the franchise and James were rocked when Irving asked the team to trade him last week. James was informed after Irving told the Cavaliers and was unaware of the guard’s feelings, sources said.
Irving did talk about the meeting to several other teammates, a league source told ESPN’s Dave McMenamin. As the Cavs consider their options, sources said James has expressed to the team that he is focused on his offseason workout regimen and is planning to report to training camp with the intention of leading his teammates to a fourth consecutive Finals — no matter who those teammates are.
This follows the pattern James has taken with the Cavaliers in recent years. James is always kept aware of the franchise’s moves and sometimes will reach out to potential new players to discuss the team but hasn’t wanted to be a leader in those decisions.
The Cavs have three choices: Reject Irving’s plea and not trade him as he has two years (plus an option year) left on his contract; find a package of young players and draft picks; or find a deal for veteran players as they deal with the reality that James can be a free agent after the 2017-18 season.
If Irving is traded away, Kevin Durant’s Game 3 dagger may go down as a historical turning point in the NBA. Who knows how different things play out from that point on.