Celtics Blockbuster Move!!!!!
The Celtics and Cavaliers completed a blockbuster trade for Kyrie Irving that involved Isaiah Thomas going to the Cavaliers.
The deal in discussion earlier Tuesday night involved Jae Crowder, Ante Zizic and a future draft pick. That draft pick ended up being Brooklyn’s unprotected 2018 first-round pick.
Irving put in a trade request from the Cavs last month, and as of late July he hadn’t been in conversation with the team. A trade before the season was on the horizon, but this was the first trade that gained any serious traction since his desire to move on from Cleveland has become public. It quickly got completed in a matter of hours.
The Celtics had some desire to move Thomas, who will become an unrestricted free agent after next season and likely will command somewhere in the area of a max contract. Thomas had a breakout last year on one end of the court, but defensively he is still a concern.
Irving could be an upgrade at the point guard position, but the question still stands if he’d want to play with another superstar in Gordon Hayward.
Why this trade makes sense for Boston.
The Celtics were not willing to invest long-term money in a one-way player who would be 33 by the end of his deal. Irving, on the other hand, is just 24 years old, years before his prime, and has another year left on his contract. Adding Irving alongside Hayward and Al Horford makes the Celtics a serious contender in the East.
