The biggest trade deal of the offseason is finally over. Kyrie Irving will soon find himself wearing the white and green Boston Celtics jersey once the NBA returns this October. Incidentally, they will visit the Cleveland Cavaliers — the new home of Isaiah Thomas, Jae Crowder, Ante Zizic, and the 2018 first-round draft pick (from Brooklyn Nets via Celtics) — during their first game.
But while Cavs head coach Tyronn Lue is reportedly looking to pair LeBron James with Crowder on the wing, Thomas’s status remains questionable. This is the reason many game analysts and experts see as to why the Cavaliers front office is reportedly shopping their newly-acquired draft pick.
Solidifying the hold of the East
There is no question that LeBron and Kevin Love can easily lead the Cavaliers past the regular season. By then, Thomas may have fully recovered from his hip injury. But the Cavaliers front office still wants to solidify their chances of returning to the NBA Finals.
Suffice to say, the road to the NBA Finals is even tougher this coming season, especially now that Irving will play for the Boston Celtics, one of the East’s powerhouses. The Toronto Raptors and the Washington Wizards are also bringing in a solid lineup, and then there’s the presumptive dark horse of the East, the Philadelphia 76ers.
For this reason, they are willing to give up their newly-acquired draft pick next year.
The Cavaliers are reportedly looking for a “win-now” veteran, someone who can immediately make an impact and help LeBron and Love in their campaign.
With the pick originally coming from the lowly-rated Brooklyn Nets, most game analysts believe it could easily translate as a top-five pick. Next year’s draft is expected to be filled with talented players like Marvin Bagley III, Michael Porter Jr., and Slovenian point guard Luka Doncic which makes the trade asset very enticing to any NBA teams in the process of rebuilding.
Not so fast
However, the trade won’t happen anytime soon. According to league sources, the Cavaliers will test the waters first before deciding the fate of their draft pick. The trade will depend on the performance of former NBA MVP Derrick Rose, who signed a one-year contract for a veteran minimum salary, and the return of Thomas from injury.
In addition, Thomas’s contract is set to expire after the 2017-18 NBA season. With Thomas logging the third-best scoring average last season with 28.9 points per game, he expects to get his first big paycheck in 2018. Bringing him back and the Cavaliers exercising their options in the 2018 NBA Draft depends solely on LeBron’s decision.
The Cavaliers are trying to read all the signs and are thus keeping their options open at least before the trade deadline expires. According to some rumors, LeBron plans to leave Cleveland for the second time next year. The only problem is that the trade deadline is set in February, a few months before LeBron’s much-awaited decision.
