This
off-season, the National Basketball Association (NBA) has had player movement
unlike any other in a real long time. The two teams that were expected to make
a major move during this point were this past season’s Eastern Conference
Finalists. While the boys from “Beantown have made a couple of major moves, the
2016 NBA champions had yet to make an impactful addition via trade or free
agency. Well that all changed for the back-to-back-to-back Eastern Conference
champion Cleveland Cavaliers as their addition as well as some future insurance
came courtesy of this past season’s No. 1 Seeded, and Atlantic Division
champion Boston Celtics.
On
Tuesday night, the C’s and Cavs made a trade where they swapped their starting
point guards with All-Star and NBA champion Kyrie Irving going to the Celtics
in exchange for All-Star floor general Isaiah Thomas, forward Jae Crowder,
center Ante Zicic, and the 2018 unprotected First-Round pick.
To
put into perspective how big a trade this was in league history, it is the
first time in the Common Draft Era, dating back to 1966, that a player picked
No. 1 overall, which Irving was back in 2011 out of Duke University by the
Cavs, was dealt for the 60th and final pick of the same draft, which
Thomas was by the Sacramento Kings six Junes ago. It also marks the first time
in NBA history that two players who averaged 25 points per game or more were
dealt to different teams the following season. Irving averaged a career-highs
of 25.2 points per game, on 47.3 percent from the field, 40.1 from three-point
range, and averaged 5.8 assists per contest with the Cavs in 2016-17, while
Thomas averaged 28.9 points per contest with the C’s this past season.
Thomas
28.9 scoring average in 2016-17 for the Celtics was not only No. 3 in the NBA,
only Hall of Famer and three-champion with the C’s in the 1980s Larry Bird had
a higher scoring average for a season in Celtics’ history when he scored 29.9
per game in 1987-88.
This
trade also puts on full display how much has the landscape has changed on how
teams do business in the NBA. Before, you would never see a team deal one of
its best players to their conference rival, or for that matter a team that
coming into this season is considered their biggest challenger to their
supremacy in the Eastern Conference which the Celtics are to the Cavaliers.
At
first glance, this trade worked out for both sides. The Celtics and President
of Basketball Operations/General Manager Danny Ainge in their eyes finally got
that impactful, franchise changing, superstar player that can lead them to
championships in the future, who by the way is just 25-years-old in Irving.
“This
has been obviously a roller coaster of a day for us,” Ainge said via a
conference call on Tuesday.
“Trading
away Isaiah, and J., and Ante. Especially Isaiah, and J., who’ve been such a
big part of our team, our success, and our Celtic culture. As leaders of our
team. Very difficult day, and at the same time, a very exciting time for one of
the best offensive players in the league. An NBA champion; an Olympic champion;
an All-Star and some of his best year’s ahead of him at just 25-years-old.”
On
the Cavs side, they get a player who in just a short two-year span went from a
guy that was as mentioned earlier the last pick in the draft six Junes ago into
a two-time All-Star; an MVP candidate and an inspiration to his teammates and
his opponents, especially after the way he played this postseason in honoring
his younger sister Chyna, who passed away in a car accident in Tacoma, WA right
before the start of this past season’s playoffs.
Thomas
will also bring with his great ability to score, he will bring a very
underrated intangible to the Cavs locker room, his willingness to be a great
teammate and person both on and off the court.
That
is not to say that Irving did bring those qualities, but the realities is this.
Very few players get the opportunity to play with an all-time great, which
four-time league MVP and three-time Finals MVP LeBron James is.
While
it may not always be a smooth ride playing alongside one of the greats in the
game, the benefits outweigh the burdens, and one of those burdens being playing
for not the easiest of owner’s in Dan Gilbert.
Before
returning for his second stint with the Cavs, the team was a mess and Irving
was more known for the fact that he missed games due to injury than for his eye
popping talent.
In
the three seasons being teamed with James, Irving has become one of the best
players in the game; an All-Star and part of a team that has made three
straight trips to The Finals, winning it all in 2016 thanks to his game-winning
triple in Game 7 on the home court of the current NBA champion Golden State
Warriors, which gave the city of Cleveland their first pro sports title in 52
seasons. While it will be an adjustment in playing with James for Thomas, he
will welcome that challenge and put his best foot forward in helping the Cavs
make it back to The Finals for a fourth consecutive season.
While
it was a sad day for the Cleveland faithful at the start of this week, Gilbert
had nothing but positives to say about Irving, unlike what he said about James
when he departed the first time in free agency back in the summer of 2011.
“On
behalf of the entire franchise, I want to thank Kyrie Irving for the six
impressive years he spent in Cleveland wearing the Cavaliers uniform,” he said
in a statement.
“From
the moment we won the 2011 NBA lottery that put us in position to draft Kyrie
to ‘The Shot’ that sealed our first NBA championship, and all the electrifying
play that made him a joy to watch, ‘excitement’ was always in the air when it
came to Kyrie Irving. We wish him and his family well as he moves on to the
next phase of his NBA career.”
James
via twitter also took the high road by tweeting from add on to a video of
someone putting a note on an Irving jersey that said “Thank U so much-That’s
the only way to be to the kid! Special talent/guy! Nothing but respect and what
a ride it was our 3 years together Young Gode #Filayy.”
Besides
getting Thomas, the Cavs also got Crowder, who is one of the best so-called
two-way players in the NBA in recent years. A guy who can make three-pointers
at the offensive end, and can put the clamps down on the opposition’s best
perimeter player at the defensive end. He is tough minded and brings an
attitude to where he will not be denied.
Crowder
also solidifies the Cavs second unit, which will now consist of 2011 MVP Derrick
Rose, who was signed this off-season as well as new additions Jeff Green and
Jose Calderon; sharp shooter Kyle Korver, who the team re-signed earlier this
offseason; Channing Frye, Richard Jefferson, and Iman Shumpert.
Just
as important for the Cavs and their new young General Manager Koby Altman, they
acquired that 2018 First-Round pick, that the Celtics received in the summer of
2013 when they traded future Hall of Famers Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce to
the Brooklyn Nets.
Besides
getting a great player in Thomas, an excellent role player in Crowder, the Cavs
got the Nets’ 2018 unprotected First-Round pick, which showed the greatness of
the team’s new General Manager Koby Altman in his first big move.
This
pick is worth its weight in gold. Why? Because of the uncertainty of the future
of James, who can opt out of his contract next summer and become a free agent.
Thomas can also opt out of his deal and be a free agent at the end of this
upcoming season.
He
has made no secret in the past year that he will be looking for that supermax
contract next summer, as he has outperformed the four-year, $27 million deal he
signed years back.
When
you have won at the level the Cavs have over the past three seasons, you are
not going to be drafting in the lottery, where you can get that potential
franchise changing player, like the Cavs have the privilege of in drafting
James, Irving, Andrew Wiggins, who was traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves for
All-Star forward Kevin Love before the start of the 2014-15 season.
“Cleveland
has a chance this year to go out and scout the elite, domestic international
players,” ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski said to Zubin Mehenti on Tuesday edition of
“Sportscenter,” on the Cavs getting that unprotected pick, which can range from
being from the No. 1 overall pick, to the Top 5 or in the Top 10 depending on
the season the Nets have.
“That
speaks to their desire to get that pick, or to have gotten a really good young
player in a trade speaks to the fact that they don’t know LeBron James’ future,
and they had to get an asset to start building long term with the uncertainty
around whether James will re-sign with them or not.”
The
good news is that if James does decide to re-sign, Wojnarowski also said on
Tuesday’s edition of “Sportscenter” that the Cavs could give a huge extension
to Thomas.
On
the other hand, if James opts out of his contract and leaves as a free agent,
the Cavs may decide to go into a full blown rebuild where they would let Thomas
walk in free agency, and even trade Love, who can opt out of his contract at
the end of the 2018-19 NBA campaign. Two other notable Cavs in center Tristan
Thompson, and J.R. Smith, and Crowder can become unrestricted free agents at
the end of the 2019-2020 season.
It’s
hard to imagine that at the end of this upcoming season that the Cavs could go
from possibly being four-time Eastern Conference champions, and NBA champs in
2016 to the cellar of the NBA. Those are the cards that James is holding with
this big decision he will have to make when the Cavs season concludes hopefully
in June 2018 with a Finals appearance, and a title.
The
Cavs and Altman, who got the job as GM on July 24 at age 34 after the team had
parted ways with David Griffin did two very important things with this deal
that a lot of people in the NBA circle did not think was possible. They got
short-term help for James and the team win a title this season, and getting a
pick that could be very high the 2018 NBA Draft Lottery in May.
In
prior discussions with the other 28 teams that the Cavs had, they were looking
for veteran players to win now or one good young player to build around for the
future. The Cavs wanted to make a deal with the Celtics of all the team because
they had so many different assets to negotiate from. On top of that, the Cavs
saved themselves north of #29 million in luxury tax money.
The
only thing the Cavs did not get was that good young player to grow with them,
and that was the No. 3 overall pick in this past June’s draft in forward Jayson
Tatum out of Duke University. The C’s did not relent on Tatum, and the Cavs
settled for receiving the pick in the deal.
For
the Celtics, this deal gives as mentioned earlier something that franchise-changing
player who can take a team that was good, and turned them into a serious title
contender.
While
they managed to sign All-Star swingman Gordon Hayward earlier this off-season,
the C’s felt they needed a legitimate great player to take them to that next
level, and they hope that is what they got in Irving for the next two seasons
and they can hopefully convince him to say even longer after the 2018-19 NBA
campaign.
The
underlying story of what this trade did for the Celtics is they avoided having
to make the tough decision on how much they were willing to pay Thomas to be
their lead guard for the future, who is just 5’9;” on the opposite side of age
30, and as mentioned earlier is coming off a hip injury that sidelined for the
rest of their series against the Cavs.
“These
are very difficult decisions as you can imagine,” Ainge said. “We face these
difficult decisions at all times during the year. You never know when something
may present itself, but an opportunity for us presented itself, even though it
is a high price tag. It is a great value that we are giving up. We love Isaiah.
We love Jae Crowder, and were just getting to know Ante Zizic, who we’ve
watched and nurtured over the last year, and given up a high-quality First-Round
pick, but acquiring a 25-year-old perennial All-Star player that fits a
timeline for us, and is a fantastic offensive player. One of the best offensive
players in the league. You have to pay a heavy price.”
In
Irving, they have a floor general on the right side of 30 at age 25, who feels
more than ready to take on the challenge of being the next great to dawn the
colors of green and white.
When
he and his agent approached Gilbert that he wanted to move on, the team could
have dealt him to a team where he would not even sniff a trip back to the
postseason, let alone The Finals.
Being
one of the greats in the NBA is more than just about scoring points and making
great plays. It is about inspiring others around you to play to your level and
beyond. Being a teammate who will have your back in the best of times and the
worst of times. Also, being someone that others gravitate towards and want to
play with you and work their way to becoming a champion like yourself.
That
said, Irving will be entering a situation where he will have everything he was
searching for. A team with stability in the front office, led by Ainge; a great
head coach in Brad Stevens and a team with solid mix of young players in Tatum,
Jaylen Brown, Marcus Morris, who the Celtics acquired from the Pistons for last
season’s starting shooting guard Avery Bradley, Marcus Smart, and Terry Rozier,
and veterans like Al Horford, and Hayward.
What
will be different for the Celtics as to the last couple of seasons, is there
will be 11 new faces on the team when the 2017-18 season begins. Coach Stevens
will have to either build a new identity for the team, with Irving being the
centerpiece of it, or re-emphasize the philosophy that helped the C’s win 53
games a season ago and again be the No. 1 in the East.
That
philosophy was based around ball movement; tremendous effort at the defensive
end, and a will to play together and for each other.
Nobody
embodied the C’s philosophy than last season’s starting backcourt of Thomas and
Bradley, who have known each other from their days growing up in the Pacific
Northwest of Washington, and reserve forward/center Kelly Olynyk, who signed as
a free agent this offseason with the Miami Heat.
What
must not be forgotten is that before the start of their opening round series
versus the No. 8 Seeded Chicago Bulls, who they defeated in six games, Thomas
lost his younger sister Chyna Thomas, who died in a car accident outside
Tacoma, Washington. After winning Game 6 to move onto the Semifinals against
the Southeast Division champion Washington Wizards, Thomas flew cross-country
to attend the funeral of his young sister. He scored 33 points and dished out
nine assists to lead the C’s to 123-111 victory in Game 1 of the Semis versus
the Wizards. That was followed by a 53-point performance in Game 2-the second
highest point total in Celtics’ playoff history as they won Game 2 129-119 in
overtime to take a 2-0 series lead. Thomas became just the fifth player in team
history to score 50-plus points in a postseason game, missing the team record
held by Hall of Famer John Havlicek by one point. In the Game 7 clincher at TD
Garden in Boston, MA, Thomas had a double-double of 29 points and 12 assists to
lead the Celtics to a 115-105 win, to win the series 4-3, and advance to their
first Eastern Conference Final since 2012.
The
2016-17 Boston Celtics had an identity that got them to the brink of making it
back to The Finals for the first time since 2010, when they lost to their hated
rival the Los Angeles Lakers in seven games. Unfortunately, they lost the
series to the Cavs 4-1 and Thomas was lost for the series after Game 2 with a
hip injury.
The
other thing that the Celtics will be dealing with starting now is expectations.
Before they were a team that took people by surprise. Now, they will have the
attention of the entire league and can they led by Irving match of those
expectations by winning not just the East, but will championships follow?
The
one guarantee for the defending Eastern Conference champions, the Cavaliers,
and last season’s runner-up in the Celtics is that they will not have to wait
very long to see each other as they will meet on opening night, Oct. 17, 2017
at 8 p.m. on TNT.
Information,
statistics, and quotations are courtesy of the 8/23/17 6 a.m. edition of NBATV’s
“Gametime,” with Jared Greenberg, Mike Fratello, and Sekou Smith; 8/23/17 6
p.m. edition of ESPN’s “Sportscenter,” with Hannah Storm, Zubin Mehenti, and
NBA Insider Adrian Wojnarowski; www.espn.com/nba/team/roster/_/name/cle/cleveland-cavaliers;
www.espn.com/nba/team/roster/_/name/bos/boston-celtics;
www.espn.com/nba/statistics,
and www.landofbasketball.com/all_time_leaders/celtics/points_pg_single_rs.htm.
