Joe Vardon of cleveland.com reported Thursday that Kyrie Irving threatened to sit out this season and opt for knee surgery if the Cavaliers did not fulfill his trade request. As we know, the Cavaliers complied and dealt their star point guard to the Boston Celtics in late August.
“According to multiple sources, Irving threatened to sit out the season and have surgery on his knee, convincing Gilbert and Cleveland’s front office that the relationship with Irving was not salvageable.”
Vardon included that Irving needed a minor surgery on his knee as a follow up to the surgery he underwent after suffering a broken knee cap in the 2015 NBA Finals.