Kyrie Irving made it clear to Dan Gilbert that he wanted a trade from the Cavaliers because he didn't want to play another minute with LeBron James, according to a source.

Irving was scheduled to become a free agent in 2019 and the Cavaliers wanted to deal him while he still had peak value.

James attempted to dissuade the Cavaliers from trading Irving.

“Bring him to camp,” James told the Cavs. 

James was confident he could repair whatever damage had been done to his relationship with Irving.

The Cavaliers negotiated their deal of Irving to the Celtics for Isaiah Thomas, Jae Crowder, Ante Zizic and Brooklyn's first round pick in 2018 without consulting James.