The biggest trade of the offseason was finally done; Kyrie Irving is officially a member of the Boston Celtics and isaiah thomas will be heading to Cleveland together with Jae Crowder, Ante Zizic, Brooklyn Nets' 2018 first-round pick and the newly added 2020 draft pick that helped clinch the deal.
What caused this hiccup?
The deal would've been closed a week ago if it was not for Cleveland taking the necessary precautions after looking at the medical findings of Isaiah Thomas' injured right hip. This delay jeopardized the trade and almost killed the transaction.
For a moment, everyone thought that the trade would not go through. It was all because of the Cleveland Cavaliers' front office asking for Celtics' Jaylen Brown or Jayson Tatum, and the Boston Celtics were not willing to add such assets to the trade.
How's everyone doing?
Isaiah Thomas disclosed to everyone that he was making significant progress in recovering from his hip injury. He told ESPN that he was not damaged and he will come back and be the same player as he was before.
Thomas believes that his hip injury will not have a long-term effect on his NBA career. Although there have been reports that Isaiah Thomas might miss most of the 2017-2018 NBA season if his recovery process does not go smoothly as expected.
Thomas also has a bone bruise on top of his labral tear.
According to one of the Celtics' General Manager, Kyrie Irving needs to become a top ten player in the NBA for him to be able to compensate for what Boston has given up to get him. Even though Irving is a consistent All-star player and is one of the best Point Guards and playmakers of the league, he is still far from being considered a top ten player.
What else Boston could have done
Boston was expected to make a run on Jimmy Butler, but sources said that the Boston Celtics were concerned that Butler and Gordon Hayward would not fit together well both inside and outside the basketball court. They would've easily beaten the Minnesota Timberwolves’ offer of Zach Lavine, Kris Dunn, and a pick swap.
The Celtics were also interested in trading for Paul George, but they were worried that George would leave for the Los Angeles Lakers as a free agent in 2018, which George has been very vocal about. And having George would've messed with the progression of their high lottery picks Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown who also plays the wing position.
This trade will surely shake up the Eastern Conference. Although everything is not sure at this point; like whether Isaiah Thomas can return this coming NBA season or can Kyrie Irving carry the Boston Celtics to another Conference Finals appearance and maybe go to the Finals? This upcoming season will really be an interesting one.
It is also important to note that both Isaiah Thomas and Lebron James are going to become free agents in 2018, which does not indicate the way that the Cleveland Cavaliers are going.
