Kyrie Irving reportedly has not spoken to the Cavaliers since requesting a trade

It’s been almost three weeks since Kyrie Irving went to Cleveland Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert, requesting a trade from a championship organization because he reportedly no longer wants to play with LeBron James. Since that fateful conversation in early July, according to The Athletic’s Jason Lloyd, Cleveland’s front office hasn’t been able to get in touch with its All-Star point guard.

The Cavs have unsuccessfully tried to contact Irving, multiple sources with knowledge of the situation told The Athletic, but he is not talking to anyone from the organization.

He has said enough already.

In Irving’s defense, he spent the past week in Asia promoting his new Nike Kyrie sneakers. You can see just how much fun he’s had on his Instagram account, where he showed the house that was built for him in Beijing.

But Irving has since returned stateside and has yet to communicate with Cavs management. And quite frankly, if he wanted to pick up the phone when new GM Koby Altman is calling, he would.

During his press conference introducing Altman on Wednesday, Gilbert tried to compare Irving’s trade request to that of Kobe Bryant, who demanded the Lakers trade him after their mediocre years from 2004-07. Los Angeles denied his request and subsequently acquired Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum before rattling off back-to-back NBA championships.

This scenario is very different. Cleveland is in a “peculiar” place, having modestly upgraded its roster in an attempt to battle a loaded Boston Celtics team for the East crown before challenging a goliath Golden State Warriors team for an NBA championship. The signings include Derrick Rose, Jeff Green, Jose Calderon, and Turkish rookie Cedi Osman.

Irving apparently wants no parts of it. He’s burned a bridge with the best player on planet Earth in an attempt to forge a legacy of his own, and there’s no sign of a reconciliation in sight.

During the same press conference, Gilbert took a jab at the Pacers for the modest return they got when trading Paul George. Indiana, with other, potentially more attractive offers on the table, shipped their All-Star guard to Oklahoma City for Victor Oladipo and Domantas Sabonis.

The Cavaliers find themselves in similar territory, with an all-world player who wants out. And if Cleveland continues to let this situation simmer, the Cavs too could get pennies on the dollar in return for a top player.