Take a deep breath Cavaliers fans, the saga is over. After spending the past weeks talking about Kyrie Irving and his trade request, the drama in Cleveland is finally over. The Cavaliers front office granted Kyrie's wish as they decided to trade him to the Boston Celtics. The deal became official on Tuesday night, as it was announced that the Cleveland Cavaliers sent Kyrie Irving to the Celtics in exchange for Isaiah Thomas, Jae Crowder, Ante Zizic, and Brooklyn's 2018 first round pick. President of basketball operations for the Boston Celtics Danny Ainge had this to say following Tuesday night's deal: "This has obviously been a roller coaster of a day for us, trading away Isaiah and Jae and Ante, especially Isaiah and Jae.
At the same time, a very exciting time to add one of the best offensive players in the league." One other Celtics legend also had some strong words to say after the Kyrie Irving trade.
Pierce thinks Boston will reach the NBA Finals
Becoming a legendary player in the history of the Boston Celtics is incredibly difficult, but Paul Pierce is one who did become one. He won the 2008 NBA championship with the Celtics, and was named the Finals MVP. Pierce played 15 season for the Boston Celtics, and when he speaks - the fans listen. Pierce is retired now and works as a NBA analyst for ESPN. He gave some interesting opinions yesterday as he was talking about the Kyrie Irving trade that sent him to the Celtics.
Pierce is confident that Kyrie Irving will bring championship mentality and much needed experience and leadership to his new team. When Pierce was asked whether or not he thinks Kyrie is in a better position now with the Celtics than he was with the Cavaliers, Pierce said: "I think he is better off now, in the long run.
If you look at Boston, the way they're positioned, this could be the team that could be in the NBA Finals three or four times in the next five or six years."
Can Kyrie become "The King"?
Obviously, any time that you get an All-Star caliber player such as Kyrie Irving is a great thing for any team. But if we take a closer look at what the Celtics gave away in order to get him, Pierce's words might sound a bit too optimistic.
Irving is a four-time All-Star and he averaged a career-high 25.2 points per game last season with the Cavaliers. In 2016, he won the NBA title with the Cavs and averaged 27.1 points per game on 47 percent shooting. There's no doubt that Irving is a special player, but it is yet to be seen whether or not he can lead a team on his own. Paul Pierce obviously thinks he can as he said: "I think so. I think he's finally learned under the tutelage of LeBron James so now he's ready to take that step. He's been 'The Prince', he wants to be 'The King' now!"
