Cleveland Cavaliers trade Kyrie Irving to Boston Celtics for Isaiah Thomas
Cavs also get forward Jae Crowder, centre Ante Zizic and the Brooklyn Nets’ 2018 first-round draft pick.
Kyrie Irving was tired of being teammates with LeBron James. Now he has to figure out how to beat him.
Cleveland’s All-Star guard, who asked owner Dan Gilbert to trade him earlier this summer, was dealt on Tuesday night to the Boston Celtics for fellow All-Star Isaiah Thomas, forward Jae Crowder, centre Ante Zizic and the Brooklyn Nets’ 2018 first-round draft pick.
“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 calibre.”
Irving, whose late three-pointer helped Cleveland win the 2016 NBA championship – and the city’s first title since 1964 – is on his way to Boston, where he’ll join a Celtics team that lost to the Cavs in last season’s conference finals.
And as fate will have it, the Cavs will host the Celtics in their season opener on October 17.