NBA
LeBron James was ‘crushed’ when Cleveland traded Kyrie Irving to Boston
Zach Wolpin is an NBA and NFL expert who's been betting on the league for over three years now. Wolpin has been a fan of the NBA and has been watching for a decade and a half. He covers the latest news and stories surrounding the league daily. His passion in life is watching sports and being able to share that through his sports writing. He has written about the NBA and other sports leagues through various media outlets over the years like Sir Charles In Charge, G-Men HQ, and TAP into South Plainfield. Before he became an NBA News Writer, Wolpin attended Montclair State University where he graduated in 2021. He studied Sports Media and Writing while in school.
All posts by Zach WolpinUpdated2 hours ago on August 28, 2025
The NBA landscape has shifted significantly over the last decade. Teams like the Warriors and Cavaliers are no longer powerhouses in their respective conferences. The teams met in four consecutive NBA Finals from 2015-2018.
Following a loss to Golden State in the 2017 NBA Finals, the Cavaliers decided to split up their star talent. The team kept LeBron James but traded Kyrie Irving to the Boston Celtics. Former Cavs head coach Ty Lue recently spoke with Shannon Sharpe on his podcast. Lue explained how LeBron was “crushed” when he found out Irving was being traded to the Celtics. He said James would have stayed in Cleveland if Irving had never left.
Ty Lue revealed LeBron was ‘crushed’ when the team traded Kyrie Irving
LeBron was ‘crushed’ when Kyrie got traded, per Ty Lue
“Bron was doing an autograph signing with jerseys for his foundation… he dropped the marker and just lays back in his chair for about 10 minutes, doesn’t say a word, like pissed off.” 💔
(Via @ClubShayShay / h/t… pic.twitter.com/X6eddO8TWu
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) August 28, 2025
After a loss to the Warriors in the 2017 NBA Finals, Kyrie Irving had made up his mind. His former head coach, Ty Lue, said Irving was content with leaving the Cavaliers. He was the first overall pick by Cleveland in the 2011 draft out of Duke. Irving played the first six seasons of his career for the Cavs, starting all 381 games he appeared in.
Ty Lue explained how upset LeBron James was when he found out Kyrie Irving was being traded to the Celtics. The former Cavs head coach recalled the situation with Shannon Sharpe. Lue said that James was doing an autograph signing that day. He approached LeBron with the news that Irving had just been traded. James instantly dropped the marker he had in his hand and sat back for 10 minutes with an annoyed look. He was “crushed” when the team parted ways with Irving.
– 2x NBA Champion As A Player For The Los Angeles Lakers
– NBA Champion As The Head Coach Of The 2016 Cleveland Cavaliers, Who Had The Greatest Come Back In NBA History, Beating The Golden State Warriors After Being Down 3-1. And Don’t Forget, That Warriors Team Has The Best… pic.twitter.com/bUjGFMH9Wv
— Club Shay Shay (@ClubShayShay) August 27, 2025
In the years since this trade from the 2017 offseason, Kyrie Irving has spoken about his decision to leave the team. Irving explained how playing with James draws a different type of attention from the media. Over time, this weighed on Irving, and he decided it was his time to move on from LeBron James as a teammate. Just one season after Kyrie Irving left Cleveland, LeBron James followed suit and landed with the Lakers.
Would Cleveland have won another championship if Irving hadn’t moved on after 2018? James was able to will Cleveland back to the NBA Finals in 2018, but they were swept in four games by the Warriors. The Cavs certainly would have been more competitive in the Finals if they had Irving. Heading into the 2025-26 season, James is a member of the Lakers and Irving the Mavericks.
