Who won the Kyrie-IT trade? - August 23rd, 2017

Who won the Kyrie-IT trade?

August 23rd, 2017

After about a month of the Kyrie drama we got a trade and my prediction in a previous article about Kyrie turned out to be correct. Boston received Kyrie Irving in exchange for Isaiah Thomas, Jae Crowder, Ante Zizic and that highly regarded Nets 2018 pick. Let me first state that I am eager to see a playoff series between both teams and that I like the deal for both teams.

Cleveland obviously made a splash in this deal by not only getting a similar caliber player in Thomas but also getting a young post option and the draft pick. What I think we should focus on is the addition of Crowder, not only is he on a team friendly deal but Cleveland acquired one of the few wings in the Eastern Conference that can be a plausible option to guard LeBron James. By adding Crowder along with Boston loosing Bradley earlier this offseason, it deteriorates their defensive matchup versatility. Therefore, I am expecting LeBron and company to come out of the East once again. Also, do not be fooled, I.T. might not be destined to stay in Cleveland for a long time given that he only has one year left on his deal. Look for the Cavs to include him in a package with that newly acquired draft pick if a superstar gets upset during the year and wants a new change of scenery. Moreover, I want to note that Thomas is not 100% healthy right now and can raise concerns with the upcoming season. Now of course when you speak about this trade you have to speak on if it increases the Cleveland's chances on retaining LeBron this offseason. LeBron is probably happy that the front office got a solid return for Kyrie but their issues still persist and I do believe he will ultimately leave Cleveland. They still have defensive issues at guard, lack of depth in their post play and picked up another guard who needs the ball in his hands to be at their best. I am not completely sold on the addition because of their style of play. Having a backcourt of Thomas and Rose screams LeBron beef on both sides of the ball and I do not imagine it getting any easier if Wade gets his buyout and signs a deal with Cleveland. Additionally, the move is also interesting because they got statistically the worst defender in the NBA and they are trying to overcome that hurdle in Oakland. Due to the fact that Cleveland received Thomas and Crowder along with future leverage with the draft pick for a player that publicly wanted out, the Cavs get a B+ for the trade and a B grade for their entire offseason.

When I look at Boston's roster, I see a solid lineup but the losses of Avery Bradley, Kelly Olynx, Evan Turner (distant loss) and now Isaiah Thomas hurt their rotations and chemistry. This move screams three things to me. The first thing being that the organization had to have put pressure on Danny Ainge for not making a move for Paul George or Jimmy Butler which would explain the rapid speed of the deal with him being ready to jump the gun. The second thing that is apparent in this deal is that Boston believes in Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum to hold those wing spots moving forward and lastly it shows us that my intuition was correct on Boston not willing to give Thomas a max deal. As far as longevity is concerned, Boston still looks like a promising team that will contend in the East with Cleveland and Washington. A lineup of Irving, Hayward, Brown, Tatum, Horford, Morris, Smart, Green and Rozier look to be a solid rotation but still look dependent on Bron leaving Ohio to be considered legitimate championship contenders. Due to the fact that Kyrie has two years on his deal, expressed that he is open to staying long term in Boston, and has a talent edge over Thomas, I would give the Celtics an A- on this trade and give their overall offseason a B-.