Well it turns out Kyrie Irving got his wish and has finally been traded. According to ESPN & numerous reports online, the Cleveland Cavaliers have traded their star point guard to the Boston Celtics in exchange for Isaiah Thomas, as well as Jae Crowder, Ante Žižić, and the Brooklyn Nets's unprotected 2018 first-round pick.
Thomas had been bracing for the possibility of a trade on Tuesday, league sources said. Whereas Irving, 25, wanted out & requested a trade during a July meeting with Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert. Irving has said that he wants to play in a situation where he can be more of a focal point of the franchise and that he no longer wants to play alongside & under the wing of LeBron James, sources said.
As for their contract situations, Irving has three years and $60 million left on his contract, but he can opt out of the final year before the 2019-20 season. Meanwhile, Thomas, 28, will become a free agent when his contract expires at the end of June. He has said in the past that he believes he's worthy of a maximum contract. However, Thomas is recovering from a hip injury last season, which some people believe is a driving force behind him being shipped off out of the New England area.
For what it’s worth, Kyrie was the No. 1 pick in the 2011 draft, while Thomas was the VERY last. And ironically enough, the two team will face off for the first game of the NBA season in Cleveland on Oct. 17. So we don’t have to wait long to see them face off.
Check out the various tweets & clips from analysts (below) and let us know your thoughts on the trade? Who you think got the better end of the deal?