Ever since the Cleveland Cavaliers traded Kyrie Irving to the Boston Celtics, bits and pieces of information have been released, implying a very toxic environment between Irving and the Cavs.Although we may never know the full truth of what led to the ultimate decision, a couple of sourced reports have emerged.First, it appears as though Irving’s feelings were hurt after he found out that the team floated his name in trade possibilities to other organizations.Second, the premise that Irving wanted to break away from LeBron James was heavily reported. Not only was he reportedly sick of playing in LeBron’s shadow, but he seemingly wanted to become the face of his own franchise and have a new challenge.Third, it was accepted that Irving went to the front office to formally request a trade.That interaction was not initially reported as being contentious or anything but professional by both sides.However, a new development arose that might throw that premise in the garbage.According to Joe Vardon of Cleveland.com, Irving threatened to undergo knee surgery if he was not traded.“Gilbert didn't have to honor the request, though, as Irving had two years left on his contract. But 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 was not salvageable,” wrote Vardon.Perhaps the most shocking part of the report claims that Irving actually does need the surgery.Vardon added, “According to sources, Irving needs minor knee surgery as a follow to the procedure he underwent during the 2015 Finals to repair his broken kneecap. It's not pressing -- Irving is averaging 24.5 points and shooting a career-high .477 from the field -- but the procedure would ease some of the swelling and day-to-day pain he feels.”Despite the fact that the surgery is typically done in the offseason, Irving allegedly threatened to leave Cleveland searching for answers at the point guard spot to start the year.“Such a procedure is typically done in the offseason, but he threatened to not come to training camp (first reported by ESPN) and then have the procedure during the season, leaving the Cavs without a point guard.”If this is true, he must have wanted to leave Cleveland very badly.

It's worth noting that Vardon's sources most likely come from within the Cavaliers organization. Therefore, only one side of the story is being presented and the organization might be trying to save face from what is looking more and more like a bad decision to trade Irving away, especially during the team's current free fall.