CAVS, CELTICS IN AWKWARD SPOT
Thomas’ physical complicates trade, but both teams still want it to happen
The Boston Celtics were happy with the trade that netted them point guard Kyrie Irving from the Cleveland Cavaliers.
The Cavs were happy with the deal that yielded All- Star point guard Isaiah Thomas, wing Jae Crowder, promising young center Ante Zizic and the Brooklyn Nets’ 2018 first-round draft pick.
Given Irving ’s desire to play elsewhere, it was a trade that satisfied both teams.
Until Thomas took a physical with the Cavaliers.
Now, no one involved in the trade is thrilled. Happiness is fleeting.
The results of Thomas’ physical have given the Cavaliers pause — enough so that voiding the trade is one option, though that would be the nuclear choice in this blockbuster deal. Per NBA collective bargaining rules, a team can void a trade if a player fails a physical.
Thomas suffered a torn labrum in his right hip March 15 against the Minnesota Timberwolves, aggravated it in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference semifinals against the Washington Wizards and aggravated it more against the Cavaliers in Game 2 of the conference finals.
Now, the Cavaliers are conducting a thorough review of the trade and plotting their next step, which also might include asking the Celtics for more compensation.
Thomas did not have surgery to repair his hip, and Celtics President Danny Ainge acknowledged on a conference call last week after the trade was announced that “there’s going to be probably a little bit of a delay for Isaiah as he starts the season this year, but — um — I think that Isaiah should be fine and healthy as the season goes along.”
Word out of Boston is the Celtics aren’t thrilled with the idea of adding another piece to the trade and are adamant they were upfront with the Cavs about Thomas’ injury. But that doesn’t mean the Cavs medical staff sees it the same way the Celtics did. It’s possible the Cavaliers think Thomas will miss more games than Boston did.
If not at an impasse, the deal is in a holding pattern, with implications for both teams.
The Celtics don’t want to give up additional players or assets, and they don’t want the trade voided, which would leave them trying to mend their relationship with Thomas and without a toplevel point guard at the start of the season.
ESPN analyst and former Nets front office executive Bobby Marks suggested the Celtics could throw in their 2018 firstround pick with protections to appease the Cavs, with the idea that Irving, 25, should be their point guard for the next seven seasons.
The Cavaliers like this trade — the Thomas complications notwithstanding — especially the acquisition of Crowder and the unprotected first-round pick. To build a championship roster, the Cavs traded draft picks and didn’t have a first-round pick in 2016 and 2017. They covet that 2018 pick, which should be in the top 10.
If the Cavs voided the trade, they would have less than a month before training camp to trade Irving and feel good about the return from another team.
Marks put it this way on Twitter: “Here is the ? CLE mgmt. needs to ask. Does Crowder/BKN pick/injured IT outweigh going back to square 1? I believe it does.”
The deadline for players involved in the trade to pass physicals and complete the trade is 10 a.m. ET Thursday, but that deadline can be extended if both teams agree.
Both teams have plenty to lose if the deal falls apart and plenty to gain if the deal goes through. The Cavs and Celtics have incentive to make it work, even if one team is a little less happy about the outcome of the deal.