Kyrie Irving’s trade request in the summer of 2017 sent shockwaves through the NBA. For fans, it felt like the breakup of a dynasty just a year removed from Cleveland’s first championship. For LeBron James, though, it hit much deeper-and until now, the details of his reaction were mostly speculation.
On Shannon Sharpe’s Club Shay Shay podcast, former Cavaliers coach Tyronn Lue finally peeled back the curtain. Asked how LeBron took the news that Irving was on his way to Boston, Lue didn’t sugarcoat it: James was floored.
“Bron was doing an autograph signing with jerseys for his foundation,”Lue recalled. “He dropped the marker and just lays back in his chair for about 10 minutes. Doesn’t say a word, like pissed off.”
That silence, Lue explained, wasn’t just frustration over losing a star guard. It was the weight of realizing a championship core was unraveling before his eyes. James and Irving had shared a historic Finals comeback in 2016, a bond sealed by Irving’s iconic three-pointer in Game 7. To see that partnership end abruptly was something LeBron didn’t expect.
Cleveland’s front office eventually shipped Irving to Boston in exchange for Isaiah Thomas, Jae Crowder, Ante Zizic, and Brooklyn’s 2018 first-round pick, which became Collin Sexton. It wasn’t a bad haul, but it was never going to fill Kyrie’s shoes. The Cavaliers made it back to the Finals in 2018, only to be swept by the Golden State Warriors.
Lue’s Perspective on LeBron’s Fallout
Lue admitted that the tension leading up to the trade had been building, but James still believed the Cavs could hold things together. Irving’s decision, Lue suggested, felt like betrayal to a leader who prided himself on keeping the team in contention year after year.
“It crushed him,”Lue said. “You could see the disappointment right away. He thought they still had more runs left.”
At the time, reports from ESPN’s Brian Windhorst noted James was “blindsided” by Irving’s request. The move exposed cracks in what had looked like an unbreakable duo.
Echoes Years Later
The wound didn’t close quickly. LeBron left for the Lakers in 2018, winning another championship in 2020. Irving’s journey took him to Boston, then Brooklyn, and eventually Dallas. But the connection between James and Irving never completely faded.
When Irving hit the trade block again in 2023, James openly pushed the Lakers to bring him in. “Definitely disappointed,” he told ESPN’s Michael Wilbon after the deal fell through and Irving landed with the Mavericks. “Someone I know I have great chemistry with … that can help you win championships.”
That longing to reunite underlines just how much Irving’s departure shaped James’ career trajectory. What seemed like just another trade in 2017 was, in reality, a turning point for both stars-and Lue’s story confirms how personal it really was for LeBron.
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