Stunner: Cavs deal Irving to Celtics
CLEVELAND — Kyrie Irving was tired of being teammates with LeBron James.
Now, Irving has to figure out how to beat him.
Irving, Cleveland’s All-Star guard who earlier this summer asked owner Dan Gilbert to trade him, was dealt Tuesday night to the Boston Celtics for fellow All-Star guard Isaiah Thomas, forward Jae Crowder, center Ante Zizic and a 2018 first-round draft pick that the Celtics had obtained from the Brooklyn Nets.
“It’s extremely rare to trade for a 25-year-old player that’s done what he’s done, the offensive weapon that he is,” Celtics President Danny Ainge said. “We feel like his best basketball is still ahead of him.
“We have a player that’s proven to be a sure thing. We know how unpredictable the draft can be. You do pay a heavy price for a player of that age and that caliber.”
Irving, whose late threepointer helped Cleveland win the 2016 NBA championship over the Warriors — the city’s first major pro title since 1964 — will join a Celtics team that lost to the Cavs in last season’s Eastern Conference finals.
As fate will have it, the Cavs will host the Celtics in their season opener Oct. 17.
“Of course, we know who our competition is, and we know who are biggest threats are each year,” Ainge said. “But we feel like this is a trade that can make us better, and that’s why we did it.”
The blockbuster deal caps a wild summer for the Cavs, who lost their title defense in five games to the Warriors in June. Since then, general manager David Griffin left, the team failed to convince Chauncey Billups to join its front office and James has played with fans’ emotions with veiled postings on social media about his future.
Irving’s trade demand cast a shadow over the organization.
Cleveland might have salvaged its offseason with this trade. In Thomas, it’s getting a proven playmaker. At 5-foot-9, Thomas is one of the league’s most dynamic backcourt players, with an uncanny ability to get to the basket.
The 28-year-old was taken with the final selection in the 2011 draft — 59 picks after Irving was picked first overall. Thomas steadily has scaled his way to elite status.
Thomas’ reputation in Boston was cemented when he led the Celtics through the playoffs last season despite the death of his sister on the eve of the postseason. He also had a front tooth knocked out during the second-round series against Washington and a hip injury eventually forced the team to shut him down early in the East finals, won by the Cavaliers in five games.
Thomas is eligible for free agency next summer and believes he is worthy of a maximum contract. He has been quoted saying, “They better bring out the Brinks truck.”
Cleveland also is getting Crowder, a solid perimeter defender, plus the first-round pick. The package could help the Cavs reload if James opts out of his contract next summer and leaves Cleveland.
James wished Irving well on Twitter, calling him a “special talent/guy.”
“Nothing but respect and what a ride it was our 3 years together,” James wrote.