Kyrie Irving Reportedly Never Wanted LeBron Back on the Cavs

Many an NBA fan has questioned why Kyrie Irving would request a trade from the Cavs in the summer of 2017. He had the best player alive on his team, and they'd just made three straight Finals appearances—why leave?

Per a new report, however, Kyrie never wanted LeBron James to return to Cleveland in the first place. The Athletic's Jason Lloyd shared that insight during an appearance on 92.3 The Fan in Cleveland. Lloyd shared a story from LeBron's time in Miami that's pretty telling.

It's not entirely surprising, given what we've since learned about the dynamics between Kyrie and LeBron. The Cavs' previous General Manager, David Griffin, recently shared a story implying something similar—that Kyrie wasn't factoring LeBron into his future in Cleveland, and then the move happened suddenly.

Regardless, both sides seem to be happy now—LeBron is (finally) in L.A., and Kyrie is gearing up for his return to the court in Boston. All's well that ends well, right?