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The Celtics Just Got Kyrie Irving
By Kyle Scott
Published:
Shit just got real.
Cleveland and Boston have agreement on deal to send Kyrie Irving to the Celtics for Isaiah Thomas package to Cavs, sources tell The Vertical
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) August 22, 2017
Celtics are sending Thomas, Crowder, Ante Zizic and Brooklyn's 2018 first-round pick for Kyrie Irving, league sources tell The Vertical. https://t.co/gdaT9UjVGl
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) August 22, 2017
All-Star Kyrie Irving will waive his trade kicker to complete Cleveland's deal to Boston, league source tells The Vertical.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) August 22, 2017
Boston has fortified starting 5 of Irving, Hayward, Jaylen Brown, Marcus Morris and Horford, while keeping heralded Marcus Smart/Lakers 1st. https://t.co/sNieqsJMN1
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) August 22, 2017
Wow. What a blockbuster. The Celtics give up quite a haul, but come out of it with a premium player, who will dominate the ball just as much as Thomas, only Irving is better. Jaylen Brown is a sleeper star, and that starting five doesn’t include Jayson Tatum, their first round pick. Yikes.
Everyone, naturally, is looking at this from the Cavs-Celtics angle, since they’re currently the top two teams in the Eastern Conference. But that dual ostensible hegemony won’t last long. LeBron is likely leaving Cleveland next year. This trade, oddly, gives the Cavs more depth than they had before, so they’ll have a better opportunity to re-stock and might not completely bottom out when they come crashing down.
That leaves the Sixers as the lone team in the East poised to compete with Celtics. There’s a lot of unknowns – their best player has injury concerns, and their two number picks haven’t played a game – but this could be a fierce, throwback rivalry for years to come. Game on.
Kyle Scott is the founder and editor of CrossingBroad.com. He has written for CBS Philly and Philly Voice, and been a panelist or contributor on NBC Sports Philly, FOX 29 and SNY TV, as well as a recurring guest on 97.5 The Fanatic, 94 WIP, 106.7 The Fan and other stations. He has more than 10 years experience running digital media properties and in online advertising and marketing.