One of the first orders of business for the Cleveland Cavaliers this summer was signing point guard Kyrie Irving to a five-year contract extension worth $90 million.
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“We wanted to make it as easy as possible,” Irving said, via Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio. “I wanted to show my commitment to them and they wanted to show their commitment to me. That’s what it was really about.
“They wanted me to be a part of their future, and I wanted to be a part of their future. It was a huge monkey off my back, with all the speculation and all the B.S. I was hearing. I’m just happy I got it out of the way.”
Following that announcement was the news that LeBron James was returning to Cleveland, taking Cleveland from a team that missed the playoffs to a team favored to win the NBA Championship.
“I’m glad we got it done,” Irving said. “A couple days later, a guy decided to come back to Cleveland. The rest is history. Now, we’ll let (general manager) David Griffin do his thing.”