Celtics throw in 2nd-round pick to Cavs’ trade

The Cleveland Cavaliers’ blockbuster trade with Boston was amended Wednesday evening to add a second-round pick in 2020 to Cleveland’s already large haul for Kyrie Irving.

A league source said that the Celtics agreed to throw in the pick it owns from the Miami Heat because of Isaiah Thomas’ injured right hip. The Cavs were already getting Thomas (a two-time AllStar and third-team All-NBA point guard last year), Jae Crowder, Ante Zizic, and Brooklyn’s 2018 No. 1 pick for Irving.

But the deal hit a snag last Friday when Thomas’ physical raised concerns for the Cavs about the torn labrum in his right hip.

While team sources said they were considering all options with the trade, the most likely scenario of Cleveland receiving a small sweetener from the Celtics is what materialized.

Both sides had too much to lose to see the deal fall apart.

The Cavs and Celtics jointly announced the completion of the trade just after midnight.

So, this is really it now for Irving, the four-time All-Star point guard, and the Cavs. It was Irving, the franchise’s No. 1 pick in 2011, who asked to be traded away from LeBron James and Cleveland in July.

Irving is considered one of the league’s most gifted offensive guards, especially as a dribble driver, and averaged a career-best 25.2 points last season.

Thomas’ future with Cleveland is unknown. Team officials acknowledge he’s going to miss time, but how much is uncertain. He missed the final three games of the Eastern Conference finals because of a torn labrum (originally suffered in March and then re-aggravated) and chose not to have surgery.

When Thomas is right, he is an explosive scorer who was third in the NBA with 28.9 points per game a year ago.

Thomas is in the final year of his contract and will be a free agent next summer. How much time he spends on the court with James, who could also be a free agent next summer and is looking for his eighth straight Finals, remains to be seen.

Crowder is a wing defender and three-point shooter with a team friendly contract who can help the Cavs guard the Warriors. Zizic, 20, is a project center.

Many considered the crown jewel of the deal to be the Brooklyn pick for the Cavs -- a potential lottery pick, maybe even in the top three or five.

The Cavs now have two firstround picks in 2018, including their own. The 2020 second rounder they’re getting from Boston was acquired by the Celtics back in 2015 when they agreed to take Zoran Dragic’s contract from the Heat.