When LeBron James was informed that the Cleveland Cavaliers were going to trade Kyrie Irving to the Boston Celtics, he was adamant on a call with Koby Altman immediately thereafter that they don't trade Irving to Boston. James wanted the Cavaliers to keep Irving altogether.

According to four separate accounts of the conversation, Altman told James the trade would not occur.

A few minutes later, word broke that the Cavaliers agreed to trade Irving to the Celtics in principle.

When James was shown the news, he dropped a pen he was using to sign jerseys for Upper Deck and slumped in his chair.

“Everyone knows that when Kyrie got traded it was the beginning of the end for everything. It’s not a secret,” James said in an interview with The Athletic.

James doesn't feel as though he was lied to by Altman as much as Altman was overruled by Dan Gilbert.

“You realize at that point in time, take nothing from Koby, because Koby (was just named GM), but at that point in time, you realize that Koby’s not the only one running the team, as (former GM David Griffin) had done, and that’s why Griff was let go pretty much,” James said.

A large reason why Irving requested a trade from the Cavaliers was because he no longer wanted to played with James. Irving told the Cavaliers that he'd go ahead with a knee surgery he needed if he wasn't traded.