An Update on the Kyrie Irving Trade Saga
Trying to follow the Kyrie Irving for Isaiah Thomas blockbuster has been a nightmare over the past few days. The trade was agreed upon, but once Cleveland saw the severity of IT’s hip injury first hand, they got cold feet. They are now seeking further compensation from the Celtics because of this.
The Cavs reportedly will ask for Jayson Tatum or Jaylen Brown to complete the Kyrie Irving trade. https://t.co/n078WuM1WB pic.twitter.com/NX0Kahz9zX
— NESN (@NESN) August 27, 2017
Last night, NESN dropped this headline saying that the Cavs would be asking for either Jayson Tatum or Jaylen Brown as compensation for Isaiah’s hip. The idea that the Celtics would include either of those players in a deal, especially this deal, is hilarious. Ainge is enamored with both of them and has often stated that they are the future of this franchise. It’s safe to say there isn’t a chance either of them will get moved.
Not to mention that Danny Ainge has stated numerous times that he was very transparent with Cleveland about the severity of IT’s injury he suffered in the playoffs last year.
Isaiah Thomas isn’t even the centerpiece of this trade, which makes me feel like Dan Gilbert is just trying to pry more out of the C’s. I don’t think Ainge has any reason to budge too much. He is the only GM in the NBA that can put together the kind of package that he did. This is why I believe that Boston, not Cleveland, has more leverage in this situation. Cleveland has to move on from Kyrie, and people were applauding them for the haul they got. If they were to back out and move on somewhere else now, they would be ridiculed. There also seems to be a lot of bad blood between Isaiah and the Celtics, so this deal has to get done.
Woj reported today that the Cavs have yet to ask for any further compensation, so an immediate time table is certain. But according to NBA rules and regulations, they have until Thursday to either accept or veto the trade.
Written By: Nick Cherico (@NickCherico2)