Who Won The Deal?
The Celtics and Cavaliers flip-flop point guards
The Cleveland Cavaliers agree to send All-Star point guard Kyrie Irving to the Boston Celtics late Monday evening.
The Celtics send over Isaiah Thomas, Jae Crowder, Ante Zizic, and Brooklyn’s 2018 first-round pick to Cleveland for Irving’s services, according to Shams Charania of The Vertical.
Back on July 21st, Irving requested a traded from the Cavs, and the story line has dominated the NBA off season. Though the Celtics were not originally on the list of teams that Irving requested a trade to, he agree to waive his trade kicker in order for the deal to work.
It’s rare to see two aspiring championship teams trade with one another, let alone with-in the same conference. These two team meet in the Eastern Conference Finals a season ago, with Boston got their teeth kicked in by Cleveland in a 4–1 series win. While two players — who averaged 25 points per game in the same season — have never been traded for one another, there were reasons why this trade makes sense.
The Celtics receive a player who two-years ago did this in the NBA Finals. Then did this to the Celtics this past postseason. Irving has the ability to score from any where on the court and is 21.6 career scorer, compared to Thomas’ 19.1. The Celtics now have Irving under contract for two years and ,according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, are confident they can keep Irving past 2019.
For the Cavaliers, Thomas is coming off the best season of his career. Leading the eastern conference in scoring, and helping the Celtics advance to the east finals for the first time since the 2012 season. Thomas is also in a contract year, meaning he will have motivation to play his best. He also becomes a assets for the Cavs to use in a potential trade in February. The Cavs also received the crown jewel of the NBA, the 2018 first round pick from the Celtics’ D-League affiliate, — and in a loaded draft with outstanding young talent — the Cavs could be set up from a better future, even if LeBron James is Hollywood bound.
This trade does come with some major concerns on both sides. For the Celtics, Irving never lead a team to the playoffs before James took his talents back to Cleveland. Questions about Irving’s leadership have plagued him his entire career, which go in lock step with how bad Irving is on the other side of the ball. For how tremendous a offensive talent Irving is, he is just as bad on defensive — and with the Celtics losing their two best perimeter defenders — Irving will have to give more effort on that side of the ball in order for the Celtics to find success. Second, losing out on 2018 draft pick could come back to haunt the Celtics if the hype is real surrounding the best players in college basketball. Third the legacy of Isaiah Thomas is lost. Thomas not only battled a hip injury, but the lost of his sister at the beginning of the playoffs. How long will it take the new Celtics to bound after trading away their three best players in Thomas, Crowder, and Avery Bradley.
Cleveland traded away their second best player for three players whom, one is coming off a major hip injury, the other’s defense is a bit overrated, a guy name Ante, and unproven lottery pick. With the cloud of despair that is LeBron James’ free agency, the Cavaliers were in a difficult position. Try to receive players that can help them win now and in the future. Was this the best offer they could receive? Was Jason Tatum never discussed as a player on the table? What about the deal with Phoenix? Questions that will be answered in the days to come.
