All Star Point Guard Kyrie Irving (to the right) continues to improve and impress each new season… But for this upcoming season, he’s going to need to make the jump from the best sidekick in the league, to the best #1 option in the league.

Irving requesting a trade shortly after losing the Finals to the Golden State Warriors, Kyrie was traded on August 22, 2017 to the Boston Celtics for Isaiah Thomas, Jae Crowder, Ante Zizic, a Brooklyn Nets 2018 unprotected first round pick, and a Miami Heat second round pick in 2020. Fans of all sides have some strong opinions on this blockbuster trades and here’s the underlying point to each case:

The Bad

After the infamous Kevin Durant move (betraying Oklahoma for the Golden State Warriors), many fans have become convinced Kyrie’s decision had the same malicious effect and even intent. Durant left after blowing a 3-1 series lead to the Warriors in the Western Conference Finals in 2016, in order to have a greater chance at winning a championship. Irving requested his trade after losing in the playoffs as well, (this time in the Finals) in order to be the main man on a team.

Durant left his self proclaimed “brother” Russell Westbrook without even talking to the now MVP about his move. Irving, likewise, had a very close bond with LeBron James, who some believe to be the greatest basketball of our era or even all time. Kyrie didn’t talk to James either and even claims to have left because of Lebron’s control of the Cleveland Cavaliers.

The Good

In order to defend Irving in this scenario, the leading arguments are as follows: Kyrie did not have malicious intent, he wanted to better his career, and he wanted to leave before LeBron James did.

The first is backed up by the fact that in Kyrie’s introductory press conference for the Boston Celtics, he thanked LeBron and praised him for the mentor and friend that he had been over the beginning of Irving’s prime. Players like Draymond Green and Kevin Durant, both rivals of Irving, have congratulated and spoken well of Kyrie’s new lead role on the Celtics. Iman Shumpert, a Cleveland Cavalier shooting guard, explained that there are no hard feelings between him and Irving.

The second argument is shown in how Kyrie explains his request to leave the Cavaliers: Irving left because he felt his legacy was being overshadowed by that of the LeBron James. Kobe Bryant, NBA great and one of Irving’s mentors, explains that Irving has the famous “Mamba Mentality” that Kobe himself maintained throughout his career. The “Mamba Mentality” means that Irving is not scared of pressure and has the talent and skill to be the leader of a team, just like Bryant was for the Los Angeles Lakers. Just like Kobe was dissatisfied with Shaquille O’neal’s shadow, Kyrie is of Lebron.

The final point is that LeBron will be an unrestricted free agent in the summer of 2018. Nothing is set in stone, however it is more likely than not that James will leave the Cavaliers, leaving the team that was built around him in shambles. Kyrie did want to be the leader of a team, but not a bottom feeder like the Lebron-less Cavaliers. The Cavaliers were built around Lebron, therefore anyone else cannot be the leader of the team. Irving’s contract would have kept him on the Cavaliers through 2020, so Kyrie had to leave before the great collapse.

The Irving

Kyrie is still on a championship contender, only now he is the leader. With a sidekick like Gordon Hayward, young talent like Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum, and a veteran like Al Horford, Irving will almost certainly reach the playoffs and immediately his leadership will be tested on the highest platform. Many predict Irving to take the challenge well and even to be in the conversation for MVP. Others believe Kyrie will always be a sidekick type because he lacks lockdown defense and experience as the leader. Whether you believe Kyrie left for bad reasons or good; whether you believe he will succeed or fail, Kyrie left to elevate his career to the next level. The highest level. Kyrie is still on a championship contender, only now he is the leader and he will have to perform as such.