The Cleveland Cavaliers want either Jaylen Brown or Jayron Tatum as additional compensation before they finalize the trade involving Kyrie Irving and Isaiah Thomas. According to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, the Cavaliers are expected to inquire about Brown or Tatum, whom they targeted during initial discussions in the original trade. Brown and Tatum were both picked No. 3 picks by the Celtics in the past two Drafts. The Cavaliers want young players like Brown or Tatum as building block in case LeBron James leaves in 2018. The trade hit a snag after Thomas underwent physical in Cleveland Friday due to his injured hip, which he sustained in March and aggravated during the playoffs.
He played the first two games of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Cavaliers but missed the rest of the series, allowing Irving and James to advance to the NBA Finals against the Golden State Warriors.
Celtics expected to resist additional compensation
Wojnarowski said the Celtics are expected to resist any request for additional compensation, saying they were completely transparent with Cleveland about where Thomas was physically in terms of his rehabilitation from his hip injury when they shipped him to the Cavaliers with Jae Crowder, Ante Zizic and the Brooklyn Nets' 2018 first-round pick for Irving.
The Cavaliers, for their part, said they were unaware of how long Thomas will be out when they made the deal.
If no deal is reached, the Cavaliers have the option to void the deal and they can do that until Thursday. The Cavaliers want to maximize Thomas’ potential because he’s entering the final year of the deal that he signed with the Phoenix Suns in 2014. Also, the Cavaliers are trying to beef up their roster in an effort to convince James to stay with the team beyond this season.
It was reported that James will leave the Cavaliers after this season and join the Los Angeles Lakers.
Celtics may send 2nd-round pick
Jason Lloyd of The Athletic reported that the Celtics will stood their ground on the original package for Irving but Chris Mannix of Yahoo! Sports said Boston may send a second-round pick to the Cavaliers to complete the deal.
The Celtics have several first-round picks remaining, including the Los Angeles Lakers' 2018 selection and the 2019 picks from the Los Angeles Clippers and the Memphis Grizzlies. However, the Celtics felt that they have given the Cavaliers enough for Irving and they are not willing to part ways with their other first-round selections.
