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Ex-Cleveland Cavaliers GM David Griffin: 'I think Kyrie Irving is going to get traded'

Former Cavs GM David Griffin talked about why Kyrie Irving wants out of Cleveland, plus the pressure of being LeBron James' general manager and more during an appearance on ESPN's 'The Jump.' 

We've not heard much from former Cavaliers General Manager David Griffin since he parted ways with the team at the end of June. On Monday, Griff had plenty to say as a guest on ESPN's 'The Jump' with Amin Elhassan and Dave McMenamin.

Griffin was asked about the future of Kyrie Irving in Cleveland. Irving requested to be traded last month and it has caused a firestorm of reaction around the league. Former Cavalier Ron Harper, who played on NBA Championship teams with superstars like Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, and Shaquille O'Neal, delivered this scathing criticism of Irving:

"I think Kyrie is going to end up getting traded. And I think what Ron (Harper) was saying was really unfair to Kyrie. I don't think this is youth and ignorance. This is a guy who handled the situation exactly how he was supposed to," Griffin said. "He went to Dan Gilbert privately and told him he'd be happier someplace else." Watch more of Griff below:

Griffin also seemed to take responsibility for not giving Irving enough space to grow as a leader when LeBron James was not on the floor. "We had to do a better job of calibrating everybody towards when LeBron's out of the game, that's opportunity for you. We need to grow and evolve and we didn't do that," Griffin admitted.

Watch more of Griff below:

Griffin also was asked about the pressure of being LeBron James' general manager. "LeBron brought no more pressure to the situation, than the situation did itself," Griffin said. "Let's be clear, LeBron doesn't want to be the coach, doesn't want to be the GM. This is a guy trying to win championships and being an MVP-caliber player is a full-time job in itself."

So what's next for Griffin? He did interview for the New York Knicks GM post but is a free agent right now. "I need to do what I would want our players to do. I need to grow, evolve, and get better, and spend some time doing that. I don't know what that means, but I'm excited about it."

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