The Cleveland Cavaliers are evaluating whether or not to approve the blockbuster trade that sent All-Star point guard Kyrie Irving to the Boston Celtics after finding out that Isaiah Thomas’ hip injury is worse than they expected. According to reliable league sources, the Cavs are trying to get another trade asset from the Celtics in order for the deal to push through.
Kyrie Irving trade hits snag
Veteran NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN noted that the Cavs are weighing options after Thomas reportedly failed Friday’s physical. Thomas, who served as the Celtics’ centerpiece of their trade package to acquire Irving, suffered a hip injury (torn labrum) that sidelined him in the final three games of the East Final series against the Cavaliers.
Physicians ruled out surgery and instead advised Thomas to take some rest and rehabilitation, but the guard hasn’t started running yet.
The current Collective Bargaining Agreement allows team to void trades if players involved failed physical. A three-team trade that sent Donatas Motiejunas to the Detroit Pistons was rendered void after the Lithuanian big man failed a physical because of his injured back last year.
Wojnarowski stressed the Cavs are still evaluating Thomas’ medical information, but the team seriously considers asking the Celtics for additional trade assets in the form of draft picks (Lakers’ 2018 first-round pick) or another young player (Jayson Tatum or Jaylen Brown). However, Celtics officials insist that they were completely open book regarding Thomas’ condition and would resist any compensation request from the Cavs, per Chris Mannix of the Vertical.
Failed trade scenario
In the event the blockbuster trade gets vetoed, both the Cavaliers and the Celtics would face awkward situations. Irving is no longer interested in playing second fiddle to LeBron James in Cleveland, and that’s the main reason why he asked the Cavs’ management to trade him in the first place.
Moreover, the Cavs won’t find any better compensation for Irving than the haul the Celtics are currently offering.
The trade package consists of Thomas, Jae Crowder, Ante Zizic and the Brooklyn Nets’ 2018 first-round pick (a potential top-5 pick) allows the Cavaliers to provide LeBron James with the right supporting cast for next season’s title hunt while keeping the organization a lot more prepared for the star’s potential exit next summer.
On the other hand, the Celtics would have to repair relationship with the three players they traded away to the Cavs for Irving. Thomas, the main catalyst behind the Celtics’ rise in the Eastern Conference the past two seasons, is set to become an unrestricted free agent next summer. Crowder is under contract until 2020, while Zizic will be restricted free agent in 2019.
