LeBron James Was Ready To Give Kyrie Irving ‘The Keys,’ But Has No Advice For Him Now

Cavaliers media day was very different than it has been over the past two years when the same core group of LeBron James, Kyrie Irving, Kevin Love, and Tristan Thompson showing up to talk about the upcoming season. However, after a wild summer in which Irving requested a trade and was subsequently dealt to the Boston Celtics.

In return, the Cavs got Isaiah Thomas, Jae Crowder, and Brooklyn’s 2018 first round pick, but with Thomas’ hip injury keeping him out for the start of the season and potentially well into the year, losing Irving throws a wrench into their plans at a fourth straight NBA Finals trip. Unsurprisingly, the dominant storylines at media day on Monday were the Thomas hip injury and the departure of Kyrie Irving.

LeBron held court with the media as he always does and was open when talking about every topic, including Irving’s departure. James

“A ton of emotions. I was wondering if something I could’ve did better to make him not want to be traded. Was it the way the season finished? Was it me coming back in the first place? Was it coaching changes or the GM change? I had so many emotions going through my head. I tried to do whatever I could to help the kid out and be the best player he could be. Be a better leader, be a better scorer, be a better floor general, better passer, getting guys involved, be a better leader vocally. I tried to give him everything and give him as much of the DNA as I could because at some point, when he was ready to take over the keys I was ready to give it to him. The only thing I’m upset about is he took a lot of the DNA and the blueprint to Boston. Other than that, I wish the kid great health and the kid wanted to do what’s best for his career. I give credit to our GM and ownership for granting it to him. Other than that, I don’t really have much more to say.”

LeBron was later asked if he had any advice for Irving, which he laughed off saying he doesn’t have any advice for anyone on another team.

It’s a peek into James’ feelings on the matter and how he was surprised by the move and felt like he had done a lot for Irving in helping him become the best he could be, but clearly Irving felt there was more to do and it needed to happen outside of Cleveland. With that discussion now out of the way, don’t expect LeBron to speak much more about Irving going into the season, as you’ll likely be told that he’s focused on the guys in the Cavs locker room and not worried about anyone else.