As soon as you thought the steam behind the Cleveland Cavaliers trading Kyrie Irving was losing its momentum, they pulled a magic trick by sending Irving to Boston for the NBA’s diminutive point guard sensation, Isaiah Thomas.
Along with Thomas, Boston will send Jae Crowder, Ante Zizic, and Brooklyn’s 2018 first-round pick to Cleveland, first reported by The Vertical.
This trade benefits the Cavaliers more, at least for a season. As far as talent goes, Boston made a lateral move. Kyrie Irving is a star in the NBA, but so is Isaiah Thomas. As a matter of fact, many will argue that Thomas is the better player. Neither can play much defense but both can score. Also, they gave up a first round draft pick and a key piece all for one player that once again, isn’t much better than the player they are replacing.
For Cleveland, this was a great trade. Not only did they get another elite point guard to run the offense, they got Jae Crowder, a strong defensive presence that can step out and hit threes at a 40 percent clip and by guessing the Nets will have another subpar season, Cleveland got a 2018 lottery pick as well. Oh yeah, they also have Lebron James for at least another season.
Last season, Irving averaged 25.2 points and 5.8 assists last season. The four time all star played a vital role in Cleveland’s 2016 NBA title run. He was also the 2011-2012 rookie of the year.
Thomas had his best season as an NBA player last season, averaging 28.9 and 5.9 assists per game.
Irving asked Cleveland for a trade in mid-July, which put a ton of pressure on the franchise in the midst of hiring a new general manager. Finding a substantial trade piece was difficult for the Cavs because they couldn’t find a good piece to replace Irving. But after today, the Cavs got n elite starting point guard, a very team-oriented two-way player in Crowder and a possible lottery pick.
The first game of the NBA season will be Kyrie Irving and the Boston Celtics at the Cleveland Cavaliers on October 17.
