A changing of the guard: Winners and losers of the Kyrie deal
A rapid reaction to the deal heard ‘round the league.
It finally happened.
After an arduous few months, the Kyrie deal has finally been sewn up.
20-year-old Croatian center, and guy you have never heard of, Ante Zizic will also be included in the trade.
The immediate question becomes: Who will eventually be seen as the winner in this monumental trade?
LeBron James and Isaiah Thomas will both become free agents after the 2017 season. This situation solidifies Cleveland’s win now team model, and also creates an interesting opportunity for LBJ’s old banana boat buddy.
That is a very talented lineup, a savvy group of vets coupled with a few young spark plugs could be what Cleveland needs to dethrone the Warriors (cough, yeah okay).
After looking at that rotation, you might even be convinced that the Cavs came out on top in this deal.
You’d be wrong.
Despite giving up IT, the deadly dwarf, and Jaw “Muscle Man” Crowder, the Celts may have had the luck of the Irish on their side in this one.
At a glance, you might not see the same start-studded lineup. But, it’s worth a second look.
Despite giving up Brooklyn’s 2018 1st round pick, Boston was still able to retain the Laker’s 2018 1st round pick as well as their core of young players (which was something that seemed like a theme in most of the early Kyrie talks).
After having signed Hayward in the offseason, trading for Marcus Morris in a deal that sent Avery Bradley to the Pistons, and drafting Jayson Tatum after trading down with the Lakers — the Celts are looking good.
They are poised to be young and talented for the next five years and are only just finished milking the Brooklyn trade cow.
However, trading away their two best defenders (Crowder and Bradley) is not necessarily the best way to win the super team arms race. But, acquiring Kyrie and Hayward also makes them a prime destination next season when players like IT, LBJ, and Kyrie become free agents.
Aaron Lieberman is a cofounder of The Ocho, as well as our fantasy editor. You can catch him (almost) every week on The Ocho Podcast on Thursday nights with fellow cofounder Riley Nicklaus Evans. Follow Aaron on Twitter at @aliebs93.
