Fear not Cleveland, Isaiah Thomas will be a Cleveland Cavaliers’ player, we hope.
Barring absolute catastrophe in the likes of recently acquired Isaiah Thomas’ hip, he is here to stay. I presume the voiding the trade is simply an option at this point, not yet a probability. For the Cleveland Cavaliers to void this trade, it would basically require Isaiah Thomas’ premature medically induced retirement. Most know IT’s hip is not in perfect condition, but I highly doubt he is contemplating taking a medical leave of absence. The Cavaliers would be absolutely silly to void the Kyrie Irving for Isaiah Thomas (and more) trade, to say the least.
Let’s start with the trade itself; the following is what each team received:
Cleveland Cavaliers: Isaiah Thomas, Jae Crowder, Ante Zizic, 2018 1st round unprotected Brooklyn Nets pick
Boston Celtics: Kyrie Irving
Do you notice anything?
Yeah, me too. One side received much more than the other; both sides got significantly better. But, it is not just Isaiah Thomas and Jae Crowder that put the Cavaliers in a great position, it is the draft pick and Zizic that solidify the Cavaliers spot in the playoffs for years to come. Everybody on earth knows that Isaiah Thomas is a generational talent. Jae Crowder is also one of the best two-way guard/forwards in the NBA.
But more importantly, and often overlooked, with the completion of this trade, rookie GM Koby Altman has stolen some picks back to replace the many given up in forming the original Love-LeBron-Irving trio. The absolute kicker in the trade is the fact that the pick is not Cleveland’s or Boston’s, it is the Brooklyn Nets pick — a sure last place candidate in 2018.
This means that Cleveland has a great chance of getting an extremely valuable draft pick next year to keep or trade. On top of the draft pick, the Cavaliers required the 23rd selection in this year’s NBA Draft — Ante Zizic. Zizic is a promising center that could come in and fill the rebounding gap the Golden State Warriors exploited in the 2017 NBA Finals.
Cleveland will not void such a lucrative trade due to a small caveat.
Isaiah Thomas’s hip is definitely not ideal, but it is not enough to throw away the huge trade-haul the Cleveland Cavaliers just received. Tom Withers from the Associated Press in Cleveland, put it best:
#Cavs could void deal for Thomas, but think that's unlikely. They needed/wanted to ship Irving and 1st-round pick is colossal asset.
— Tom Withers (@twithersAP) August 26, 2017
So far the Cavaliers are simply internally reviewing, nothing more, nothing less.
Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reports that “Cleveland’s evaluation/conversation on status of Irving/Thomas deal has remained internal. So far, the team hasn’t re-engaged Boston.” So, Cleveland, it is not time to worry yet, medically reviewing trade candidates is protocol.
Must Read: The Cavaliers next two (or so) trades
Stay tuned to King James Gospel for more updates on the blockbuster trade!