Kyrie Irving, Gordon Hayward Talk Trade, LeBron James at Celtics Presser

Following the finalization of their trade with the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Boston Celtics introduced Kyrie Irving and free-agent acquisition Gordon Hayward in a highly anticipated press conference Friday.

Sporting News tweeted the following photo of Irving and Hayward holding up their Celtics jerseys for the first time:

Hayward signed with Boston in July to rejoin his former collegiate head coach at Butler in Brad Stevens, while the deal for Irving was finalized Wednesday.

In that trade, the Celtics sent guard Isaiah Thomas, forward Jae Crowder, center Ante Zizic, the Brooklyn Nets' unprotected 2018 first-round draft pick and a second-round pick to Cleveland.

Irving was asked extensively Friday about whether things soured in Cleveland and why he felt a trade was in his best interest.

According to Ben Axelrod of WKYC, Irving confirmed reports that he requested a trade and said, "It's the most human thing I could have done."

Irving also said that leaving Cleveland wasn't a basketball-driven decision, per Kristian Winfield of SBNation.

As seen in the following video courtesy of NBA TV, Kyrie further discussed why he felt Boston was a better fit for him moving forward:

According to Adam Kaufman of WBZ Sports Radio, Irving said he feels the Celtics offer him the best opportunity for growth: "My intent is to be happy and be with a group of individuals I can grow with. That's not a knock on [Cleveland]."

While Kyrie didn't confirm or deny reports of his wanting to step outside the shadow of LeBron James had contributed to his trade request, he did say the following about team basketball, per Marc D'Amico of the Celtics' official website: "Is there ever such a thing as one person carrying a team? I don't think so."

With regard to James, Irving said he hasn't talked to him since reports of a trade request first became public.

Even so, Kyrie heaped praise on LeBron and talked about what it meant to be his teammate for three years:

According to Marla Ridenour of the Akron Beacon Journal, the four-time All-Star felt he received an education playing alongside James: "I learned so much from that guy. I had an opportunity to play with one of the greats. It was awesome."

While Stevens' presence was an obvious draw for Hayward, Irving confirmed that playing in Stevens' system contributed to his wanting to join the team as well, per Brian Robb of Boston Sports Journal.

Hayward also mentioned his reasons for signing in Boston, which included Stevens, the history of the organization and the city itself:

In perhaps the funniest part of the press conference, Irving and Hayward talked about their prior relationship.

Specifically, Hayward said he visited the Cavs when he was a restricted free agent and was recruited by Irving.

Hayward then said LeBron's return to Cleveland "squashed" that possibility, which led to laughter from Kyrie and the rest of those in the room, as seen in this video:

Irving and Hayward are now officially teammates, joining a team that finished as the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference last season.

The Celtics return just four players from that team, but with Irving, Hayward, Al Horford, rookie Jayson Tatum and others in place, Boston hopes to be the team to beat in the East.