Kyrie Irving had the Cleveland Cavaliers between a rock and a hard place, and essentially forced his way out of town.
The disgruntled All-Star reportedly informed the Cavaliers that he would rather not report to training camp than begin another season with the team, sources told ESPN's Dave McMenamin.
His wish for a fresh start - apparently stemming from his desire to get away from teammate LeBron James - came true Tuesday, as Cleveland sent Irving to the Boston Celtics in exchange for Isaiah Thomas, Jae Crowder, Ante Zizic, and the Brooklyn Nets' unprotected first-round pick in the 2018 draft.
Related: LeBron encourages Cavs fans to show respect for Kyrie following trade
Irving had listed the Minnesota Timberwolves, New York Knicks, San Antonio Spurs, and Miami Heat as his preferred destinations, but he had zero leverage in dictating where he wound up.
He did, however, reportedly have to waive his 15 percent trade kicker - which would have paid him an additional $5.8 million - to facilitate his move to the Celtics.
When Koby Altman was introduced as Cleveland's new general manager in late July, owner Dan Gilbert said he expected Irving to appear at camp, as he was still under contract.
