Isaiah Thomas and Others for Kyrie Irving: The Celtics and Cavs Complete the Biggest Trade of the Summer

When it was first announced that Kyrie Irving had requested a trade from the Cavs many speculated that the Cleveland point guard would find a roster spot on the Spurs, Knicks, or even the Timberwolves. Fast forward about a month and a Kyrie trade has been made, but Irving won’t be calling New York, San Antonio, or Minnesota home. Instead, Kyrie will wear the Celtic green and white this season.  In a trade where the Celtics did have to give up Isaiah Thomas, Jae Crowder, Ante Zizic, and the Brooklyn Nets’ 2018 first round pick, they got a four-time All-Star and top 5 point guard in return who can help move them to their first NBA Finals appearance since 2010.

As sad as it is to see the King of the Fourth leave the Celtics, this trade was monumental for the C’s near future. With Isaiah Thomas telling multiple sources that he will take nothing short of a supermax deal next summer when he becomes a free agent, it was the right move for the C’s to trade away their All-Star point guard.  If Boston were to keep IT and sign him to a max contract next season, they would have little to no mobility at all to make anymore lineup changes and would have to hope that what would’ve been the 2017-18 season roster would be enough to bring home Banner 18 in the next few seasons. Now the Celtics have a much younger, and in my opinion a more talented centerpiece who has the potential to improve his game even more and is on a contract that only costs about $18.8M/year and is locked in as a Celtic until 2020. This will also give the C’s more cap space to make yet another big move next season while also further improving their backcourt on both offense and of course defense.

Cleveland, however, did get a fair deal for Irving. They are getting Isaiah Thomas during the prime of his career, another strong rebounding small forward in Jae Crowder to help improve their abysmal rebounding that they showcased during the 2017 NBA Finals, and important assets like Ante Zizic and the Brooklyn pick that could either add depth to their roster or be used for yet another impactful trade. Is this trade enough to lift the Cavs past the Warriors in the 2018 NBA Finals? Absolutely not. Kyrie was a crucial part in the Cavaliers fight to stay alive in the 2017 NBA Finals, and of course was one of the main reasons why Cleveland was able to win their first NBA Championship in franchise history in 2016. Losing Kyrie while dealing with a LeBron focused on leaving Cleveland asap could potentially cost Cleveland the 2018 Eastern Conference Finals. Although a backcourt of Derrick Rose and Isaiah Thomas will be interesting to watch for the 2017-18, it will surely not be enough to stop Klay and Steph, if they even get a chance to face them in the Finals.

The only real concern I have about this trade is that only four players remain on the Celtics roster from last year’s Eastern Conference Finals team.  With Bradley, Crowder, and Zizic being traded away and players like Jerebko, Olynyk, and others having their rights renounced, Marcus Smart, Jaylen Brown, Terry Rozier, and Al Horford are the only pieces left who wore a Celtics jersey in the Eastern Conference Finals only a few months ago. This drastic roster change could result in some team chemistry problems early on, but with a handful of All-Stars in Hayward, Horford, and now Kyrie, alongside Boston’s key young studs, the Celtics lineup is sure to be one of the best rosters in the league. Give this new and improved Boston team a month to get adjusted to playing with new faces and I guarantee the Celtics will become one of the hardest teams to beat this season.

Expect Cleveland to make one to two more moves between now and the 2018 NBA Playoffs. With LeBron practically guaranteed to leave the Cavs next year and IT and Rose most likely looking for yet another new home next summer when the Cavs decide to fully rebuild starting with the Brooklyn pick, it is now or never for the Cavaliers to bring home Banner No. 2. Regardless of which of these two Eastern Conference powerhouses emerges as the Eastern Conference Champions, they will inevitably have to somehow find a way to eliminate one of the greatest playoff teams the league has ever seen. Although, a starting 5 of Irving, Brown, Hayward, Morris, and Horford with Semi Ojeleye, Marcus Smart, Terry Rozier, and future star Jayson Tatum all coming off the bench does look like a legitimate contender for the reigning champs. For now, mark your calendars for October 17th as the Celtics will take on the Cavs in Ohio for the season opener in what is sure to be one of the most electric games of the 2017-18 NBA regular season!

Written by Erik Clark