At around 10:45 p.m. EST, the blockbuster trade that has been dominating headlines for the past couple days became official at last.
On Friday night, Isaiah Thomas traveled to Cleveland to undergo his physical evaluation, which is necessary for all players involved in a trade to pass in order for the trade to be valid. If failed, the Cavs would have been eligible to void the trade and all pieces would be sent back to their respective teams, creating drama and awkward situations around the board.
Originally, rumors were that although Cleveland supposedly had full understanding of Isaiah’s hip situation from back in game No.2 of the Eastern Conference Finals, they were going to try and finesse Danny Ainge for one of his young, promising players in either Jaylen Brown or Jayson Tatum.
For obvious reasons, Ainge refused to let go of either of his two most valuable assets, and stated he would consider a late first or a second round pick to appease the Cavaliers.
Boston escaped with only releasing a 2020 second round pick, to go along with the original package of star point guard Isaiah Thomas, Jae Crowder, Ante Zizic, and the Nets 2018 first rounder.
Whether you are a fan of this move or not, I think we can all agree that it’s nice to finally be able to breathe a sigh of relief. Thomas and LeBron James will be the double-headed monster to take on the new-look Boston Celtics comprised of Kyrie Irving, Gordon Hayward, Al Horford, and some young bloods with unlimited ceilings.
Overall, only the test of time will determine if Ainge made a huge mistake or if he has now created even more of a serious threat to attain banner 18. Personally, I have stood by the mastermind behind the front office in the past, and will continue to do so.
Celtics fans already had a lot, I mean a lot of assorted things to be excited for in the upcoming 82 (not counting the postseason) games, and Kyrie Irving only adds more to that.
You can bet that come October 17th when the Cavs and Celtics square off on opening night, there will be no shortage of highlights and drama with the entire NBA world tuning in.
