Kyrie Irving denies report he is unhappy playing for Cavaliers

Cavaliers guard Kyrie Irving denied reports of his unhappiness playing for Cleveland following the team’s win over the Pacers on Monday night.

Cavaliers guard Kyrie Irving denied a report that he is unhappy playing for Cleveland following the team’s win over the Pacers on Monday night.

ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith said on First Take on Monday that Irving would rather be playing for a different team. When asked about the report after Monday’s 100–96 win, Irving brushed off Smith’s comments.

“There’s nothing to really address,” Irving said, according to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin. “Obviously there’s going to be some misunderstandings. It’s part of being on a team. For me, as a maturing young player in this league, I know what we have and the opportunity we have in order to be something special. My communication is open with all of my teammates, just knowing what's going on and how I feel about things.

“For me, all that other stuff, what everyone is going to say, they’re going to pick one player, it's going to change every single week. When they think that we're down and out, they’re going to choose one player, so, for me it has no effect on my life or what's going on. It’s all about winning and winning a championship for Cleveland.”

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Irving, 23, signed a five-year, $94 million contract extension with the Cavaliers before this season and will not become a free agent until 2020. 

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The Cavaliers (42–17) next play the Washington Wizards (29–30) on Friday in Cleveland.