Comparing the Isaiah Thomas Trade and the Red Wedding
This is the first article of a five-part series I will be writing called “Deep Dive”. This is essentially an excuse for me to do way too much research and write extensively about topics in the realm of sports that don’t get talked about much in the larger sports media because they’re too strange for ESPN to do a segment on them. That’s why I’m here: to bring the public the stories that matter (to me).
SPOILER ALERT: If you haven’t seen Game of Thrones and you want to or have watched it up until Episode 8 of Season 3 and you don’t want anything spoiled, stop reading right now. You’ve been given fair warning.
Over the course of his MVP-level season a year ago, then-Celtics point guard Isaiah Thomas established himself as one of the NBA’s premier players. Thomas averaged 29 points and six assists with a .546 effective field goal percentage and a 26.5 player efficiency rating. IT had one of the greatest offensive seasons ever by a guard, and this was especially true with the game on the line; Thomas, who averaged 9.8 points per fourth quarter, earned the nickname “The King in the Fourth” for his heroics in clutch situations.
Anyone who is a fan of HBO’s hit series Game of Thrones knows this moniker is adapted from that of a character on the show named Robb Stark. Robb is the son of Ned Stark, Warden of the North and Hand to the King until he is unjustly imprisoned and murdered by King Joffrey Lannister. Robb, infuriated by this betrayal, declares war on Joffrey and constructs an army made of the Northerners who are still loyal to the Stark Family, becoming “The King in the North”.
Robb proves himself to be a great leader and military tactician, defeating the Lannister armies in multiple battles and capturing Joffrey’s brother Jaime. However, his lack of experience is his undoing; instead of fulfilling a promise to marry the daughter of ally Walder Frey, Robb elopes with a beautiful field doctor named Talisa. Needing men, Robb agrees to a different deal with Frey: that his uncle Edmure would marry one of Frey’s daughters, and that Frey would be granted the castle Harrenhall.
After a lengthy feast at Frey’s castle in celebration of the wedding and alliance, Robb, a pregnant Talisa, Robb’s mother Catelyn, and all his men are ambushed by Frey’s soldiers and slaughtered mercilessly. As it turns out, Frey betrayed Robb by making a deal with the Lannisters to kill him and his army. The result is one of the most harrowing eight minutes of television ever, and anyone who watches it is left speechless as the credits roll silently.
As Isaiah Thomas’ return to the hardwood looms, let’s take a look at how the trade that sent IT to Cleveland in August compares to this “Red Wedding”.
A Horrible Betrayal
Thomas was the heart and soul of the Celtics last year. He was the team leader and leading scorer for the number one seed in the East. The man who had always been told he was too small, had been traded twice, and had always been overlooked was finally a star. IT thrived in Brad Stevens’ offense and soared his way into the highest tier of today’s players. And it was due not only to his extraordinary skill, but his tireless work ethic.
Thomas gave everything he had whenever he stepped on the court. It didn’t stop when he suffered a late-season hip injury that hampered him into the playoffs. It didn’t stop when his sister Chyna died in a car accident back home in Washington just a day before Game 1 of the Celtics’ opening round series against the Bulls.
Thomas could have stepped away and no one would have held it against him. Instead, he dropped 33 points in Game 1 and averaged 23 points and 6 assists as Boston defeated Chicago in six games. Thomas averaged 27 points and 7 assists in the second round against the Wizards, including 53 in Game 2 on what would have been Chyna’s 23rd birthday. Thomas played and played until his hip literally wouldn’t let him, and he ended up sitting out much of the team’s Eastern Conference Finals loss to the Cavaliers.
Imagine constantly giving your all for a team, battling through physical and emotional pain, always delivering for the franchise… and the team says “thanks for your time” and trades you away? Is there any word to describe that other than “betrayal”?
Thomas recently released a video as part of his “Book of Isaiah” documentary series for the Player’s Tribune. The video shows Thomas reacting to the phone call in which Celtics’ general manager Danny Ainge told Thomas he had been traded.
“It just hurts when you gave your heart, everything you had to that city,” Thomas says. “You learn in this game and this business that there’s no loyalty.” It’s clear that Thomas felt betrayed by Ainge.
Similarly, Robb was double-crossed by Frey. Frey was an ally of the Starks’ but just like Ainge, he did what was best for him at the expense of loyalty, and in a flagrant manner.
In the Game of Thrones universe there exists a tradition called “Guest Right”. When a guest eats and drinks under a host’s roof, the host is no longer allowed to harm the guest, and vice versa. It’s a basic rule of human behavior in Westeros, one that all civilizations and religions follow. When Frey had Robb and his men killed, he committed a betrayal of the highest order. Which is almost as bad as trading your point guard after he plays through a serious injury and the death of his sister for you.
In addition, the violence of the Red Wedding is mirrored in the circumstances surrounding the trade. The fact that Isaiah had played hurt and played through his sister’s death just to be traded for a player who had just beaten his team in the playoffs reflects the graphic brutality of the Red Wedding’s execution.
(And yes, Danny Ainge is the Walder Frey of the Isaiah trade. Also, Jae Crowder is the Catelyn of this scenario. Crowder was dealt in the trade, and Catelyn was murdered at the Red Wedding. It may seem far-fetched but it’s accurate, right down to the long hair and fierce disposition. If that seems wild to you, wait till you hear the next comparison…)
Kyrie Irving = Jon Snow
Kyrie and Jon are very different people. Irving comes off as strange and a bit pompous, what with his long-winded quotes and dismissal of scientific fact (the Earth is definitely not flat). Meanwhile, the supposed bastard Jon has the highest approval rating of just about any Thrones character; he’s loyal, just, and despite the fact that he is the person best-suited to rule Westeros, he has no intention of claiming the Iron Throne.
And yet they represent each other in this parallel. When Robb died, it made room for Jon to eventually lead the North. While Robb was a strong and likable character, he lacked Jon’s depth and untainted goodness. Robb had to die so that the North could receive its best ruler.
Isaiah is a fantastic player with amazing talent and work ethic, and I believe he will thrive in Cleveland. But Kyrie is the star the Celtics need. He has gone toe-to-toe with the Warriors in two straight Finals (just as Jon did with the White Walkers), matching blows with the game’s greatest stars. Since joining the Celtics, he has taken them to a level above what IT was capable of. Despite a completely overhauled roster, a starting lineup that includes a 19-year-old and a 21-year-old, and the loss of Gordon Hayward, Kyrie led the C’s to a 16-game winning streak and an early number one seed.
(And yes, the Warriors are the White Walkers in this scenario. They’re unstoppable, they keep making new additions that make them even scarier, and all of the other houses/teams have to band together to stop them.)
(And yes, that means Nick Young, Omri Casspi, and Jordan Bell are Wights. I love this comparison.)
Kyrie’s special blend of ability and image (his effortless handles, his wild finishes, his uber-popular shoes) help him stack up to the level of Jon’s character. The sad fact of Isaiah and Robb is that they had to be killed off to make way for better things.
Talisa = ?
Talisa is an interesting part of this. What part of the trade does she correlate to?
Talisa’s relationship with Robb represented hope. They were so perfect together; they had great chemistry and Talisa was able to get through to Robb when he was being an idiot. Their marriage and their child were a beautiful symbol of the future of the North’s leadership, of what could be. Every viewer wanted them to take King’s Landing and execute the hated Joffrey. Until both were destroyed in the most graphic manner possible: multiple shanks to the gut.
There are two ways we could connect Talisa. On the one hand, the final pick the Celtics held from the famous Pierce-Garnett swap with the Nets was dealt to the Cavs in the Isaiah trade. With potential stars such as Marvin Bagley III, DeAndre Ayton, and Luka Doncic in the 2018 draft class, the loss of getting that pick from a bad Brooklyn team hurts the future of the Celtics.
On the other hand, Talisa could be Hayward. Isaiah was a big part of recruiting the forward to Boston, and you know that combo would make sweet music on the offensive end. But they never got the chance to play together. And while Hayward himself was not lost in the trade, he did suffer his gruesome and possibly season-ending ankle injury in the first game of the season.
Both are interesting analogies, but I’m going to go with Talisa = BRK Pick. It’s just a smoother comparison.
The main difference between IT and Robb is that Thomas has the opportunity to come back and get revenge. Isaiah will return to the court fairly soon, maybe even for the Cavaliers’ January 3rd game in Boston, which would be emotional on so many levels. Betting against Thomas has never proven to be a great idea, and it wouldn’t be surprising to see the 5'9 dynamo spur the Cavaliers to a fourth straight Finals appearance. If and when they see Boston in the postseason, best believe IT will be looking for vengeance.
