John Wall Comments on Kyrie Irving's Trade Request, Situation with Cavaliers

Washington Wizards point guard John Wall commented on rumors of Kyrie Irving wanting to be traded from the Cleveland Cavaliers when asked about the situation Friday. 

According to Chase Hughes of CSN Mid-Atlantic, Wall said he was taken aback when he first heard the news:

"That was crazy to me. I didn't know that was happening at all. Well, too bad. It's kinda tough. If I had been to three straight [NBA] Finals, I'd want to stay but you never know what type of relationship or what type of details they have going on the backside. Nobody knows what's going on behind closed doors. He's one of those guys who wants to be the main guy."

ESPN's Brian Windhorst reported Irving was seeking a trade from the Cavs so that he would no longer have to play second fiddle to LeBron James.

Wall also discussed the potential issues playing with a top dog like LeBron could create:

"It's a different situation when you're playing with a guy like LeBron James who is so dominant. Everyone is always going to be the second guy to him. It's kind of like what I tell all the young guys when they first come into the league. It's kind of tough to get the young guys to play as one on the floor because everybody is trying to build their name up and start their own foundation. It's kind of tough when you're always in the shadow of somebody else. That's something he probably got tired of."

Irving and James have led the Cavaliers to three consecutive NBA Finals, and Irving is coming off his best statistical season.

He averaged a career-high 25.2 points per game during the regular season and upped that number to 25.9 during the playoffs.

Unlike Irving, Wall is the unquestioned leader of his team, and he averaged a career-best 23.1 points and 10.7 assists per game in 2016-17.

On the heels of his big year, Wall signed a four-year, $170 million contract extension with the Wiz.