With the Cleveland Cavaliers apparently stalling on trading Kyrie Irving to teams that don’t matter to them, the Boston Celtics re-entered the conversation.
Deal done, as USA TODAY Sports’ Sam Amick confirms. The Celtics are sending Isaiah Thomas, Jae Crowder, Ante Zizic and the Brooklyn Nets’ 2018 first-round pick to the Cavaliers for Irving. But it’s also a weird, uncomfortable deal that has fans and analysts a bit puzzled. For a few reasons.
1. Someone’s getting burned in the playoffs by this.
Here’s the thing about trading All-Stars: They tend to enjoy revenge games. And here’s the thing about trading All-Stars known for explosive scoring ability: Their revenge is very obvious and public and inescapable.
That’s why we advised the Celtics and Cavaliers early on to not even discuss this type of trade. There’s way too much potential for it to blow up in one of these teams’ faces, particularly when they seem so likely to end up facing each other in the Eastern Conference finals next season. Do you want to be Danny Ainge when Thomas drops 45 on you in a Game 7 Cavs road victory, then gets carried off the TD Garden court on LeBron James’ shoulders?
2. You can’t make this up.
Kyrie Irving for Isaiah Thomas would mean trading the No. 1 pick for the 60th pick from the 2011 draft.
— Chris Martin Palmer (@ChrisPalmerNBA) August 22, 2017
Thomas was the last pick of the draft because of worry about his 5-9 size and how he’d translate. Two All-Star appearances later, he’s one of the greatest overachievers in NBA Draft history.
Irving’s a four-time All-Star himself, so he’s not exactly a shabby top pick. The 2011 NBA Draft also featured Kawhi Leonard, Jimmy Butler, Klay Thompson, Kemba Walker and Tristan Thompson.
3. These teams face each other RIGHT AWAY.
Tuesday, Oct. 17. That’s right. The first game of the NBA season, 8 p.m. ET on TNT.
We can’t wait.
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Originally published on http://ftw.usatoday.com/2017/08/kyrie-irving-trade-celtics-cavaliers-isaiah-thomas
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