The Cleveland Cavaliers completed arguably the biggest trade of the NBA offseason on Tuesday.
According to The Vertical’s Shams Charania, the Cleveland Cavaliers have agreed to trade point guard Kyrie Irving to the Boston Celtics.
Cleveland and Boston have agreement on deal to send Kyrie Irving to the Celtics for Isaiah Thomas package to Cavs, sources tell The Vertical
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) August 22, 2017
The Cavaliers will receive point guard Isaiah Thomas, forward Jae Crowder, center Ante Zizic and a draft pick in exchange for Irving. The draft pick comes in the form of an unprotected 2018 first round selection via the Brooklyn Nets.
The trade comes after a long saga that began in late July when Irving allegedly requested a trade from the Cavaliers. Irving’s supposed motive behind his trade request was a desire to be the focal point of a franchise. With this trade, Kyrie will become the leader of a young but promising Boston Celtics team.
Irving will head to Boston after playing his first six seasons with the Cavaliers. He was a four-time All-Star and won an NBA championship while playing in Cleveland. Irving averaged 21.6 points per game, 5.5 assists and 3.4 rebounds while with the Cavs.
Isaiah Thomas will likely take the role of starting point guard after Irving’s departure. Thomas averaged 28.9 points per game last season and finished 5th in MVP voting. Crowder and Zizic will help fortify the bench for the Cavs, a problematic area for the team in some situations last season. The Cavaliers will have to cut some players to make room for the arrival of the three Boston players.
This trade might have been as good as Cleveland could have got. They received a top pick, a versatile wing, and a scorer. When Irving leaves, the biggest aspect that is lost for Cleveland is his scoring. Isaiah Thomas will be able to replace that and Jae Crowder gives the Cavaliers a perfect small-ball lineup of Thomas-Smith-Crowder-James-Love.
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This is the blockbuster trade of the summer, and it will make for an intriguing season as these teams meet three times.
Tell us. Do you like this trade for the Cleveland Cavaliers?