News of Kyrie Irving's trade request earlier this summer sent shockwaves throughout the NBA.

The point guard's sudden decision to demand a move away from the Cleveland Cavaliers came as a surprise to many.

With uncertainty over his future and whether he would get his move prior to the new season, Irving was eventually granted his wish and was offloaded to the Boston Celtics just weeks ago.

The dust has settled on what was the biggest NBA story of the offseason and Kyrie has since been opening up about his decision after the trade was finalised.

On Monday he made an appearance on ESPN's First Take and gave some interesting answers to probing questions thrown at him by Stephen A. Smith regarding the issue.

The 25-year-old said he kept things professional with the Cavs throughout the process but was hurt by the manner in which the news of his trade request came out.

"I felt like the timing was impeccable, if you ask me," Irving said. "I think how ironic it was that I was on my China trip and how my trade rumors all of a sudden just came out publicly. And it was hurtful because I knew how professional I had kept it throughout the whole entire process, and how strategic it was.

"Because I knew it was going to be madness, and it turned out to be like that. And when you're living in a reality-based (world) -- and I'm a very awake individual -- and you have all these exterior forces trying to change or skew everyone else's opinion, and I'm not able to say anything, and I'm sitting back and being very, very patient, it became something that I didn't understand because of the amount of moments that we had together as a team."

The four-time All-Star discussed a number of topics during the segment and briefly mentioned the environment within the franchise and why it didn't match what he wanted.

"When you think about the journey, and you also put things into perspective for what they really are, it's a truthful environment. And I wasn't getting that (in Cleveland). And that's where it really stands," he said.

When pressed by Smith on what he meant by this and whether he was referring to coach Tyronn Lue or the front office, Irving replied: "No. It's pointing to the perspective that I know exactly what I want. And I want to be happy, and perfect my craft in doing so."

Uncle Drew was careful not to mention any names throughout the interview and wanted to get the message across that he made the move for his own reasons.

This certainly adds more intrigue to his first encounter with the Cavs in the first game of the new campaign on October 17.