NBA: Kyrie Irving trade adds fuel to the Celtics-Cavs rivalry

A blockbuster trade between the Cleveland Cavaliers and Boston Celtics enables the NBA to once again steal the summer headlines

There’s never a dull moment in the NBA. With August on the verge of ending, it was supposed to be the dead time in the association. Rumors, but no noticeable transactions. Well, that thought can be crumpled up and thrown into the trashcan — *yells Kobe on shot attempt*.

Going forward, the month of August will be remembered for the blockbuster trade headlining Kyrie Irving heading to the Boston Celtics in return for Isaiah Thomas, Jae Crowder, Ante Zizic and the unprotected 2018 Brooklyn Nets first-round pick heading to the Cleveland Cavaliers.

An Irving trade has been public knowledge since July, when it was reported he wanted out of “The Land.” The only question was where he’d end up. Being dealt to Boston wasn’t mentioned as a possible destination from his initial wish list, but here we are a month later and he’ll be dawning green and white for at least the next two seasons.

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Boston making this trade completely revamps their roster and identity, as they’ve not only parted ways with Thomas and Crowder, but Avery Bradley, who was dealt to the Detroit Pistons to make room for Gordon Hayward. Goodbye are the days of Boston being known for their gritty and tough defense. Hello to an intriguing offensive concoction of pieces. Coach Brad Stevens has an interesting situation on his hands, and time will tell on what kind of team the Celtics can become.

At first glance, it looks the Celtics might’ve took a major “L” in the trade. Losing their overachieving guard who was the heart of a city; parting ways from a lock headed defensive ace and shipping the highly coveted Nets pick. But, there is some hope. Boston still holds the Los Angeles Lakers 2018 first-round pick, which could become theirs if it’s in the 2-5 range.

Along with the pick, Boston prevents themselves from having to negotiate a max contract with Thomas in 2018, who will be 29 at the time. Thomas has made it publicly known he wants the max deal come next summer, and Ainge might’ve been willing to give it to him. But getting Irving at around $38M for the next two seasons – $18M in ’16-’17 and $20M in ’17-’18 – is a guaranteed boon for the team.

Both Thomas and Irving are similar players, but the only difference is people are confident in Irving’s ability score, while others view Thomas as a product of the system he’s in.

The Celtics are gambling and that’s a reputation Ainge has created for himself with notable trades, such as the mega deals in 2007 and 2013. Both franchise changing deals reshaped the organization itself, and acquiring Irving and losing two fan favorite starters has created a question as to who the Celtics are. From the outside looking in, it looks like the team should be better offensively.

The men in green and white averaged 108 points per game last season, good enough for seventh in the league. With the additions of Irving, Hayward and Jayson Tatum, it’s fair to surmise that number will increase. Defensively is where it’ll get interesting. As a team, Boston had a Defensive Rating of 108.4 (13th in league) with an allowance of 105.4 points per game (15th in league). With the team being in the middle of the league, it shouldn’t be too much of a fall of when it comes to protecting their own basket. Who knows, their defense might be better with more wing players.

When looking at the trade from a Cavaliers point of view, Koby Altman might already be entitled to a raise. In his first move, Altman prepared the team for the present and future. Thinking in the current, acquiring the contracts of Thomas and Crowder decreases the luxury tax bill for the Cavaliers by $29.1M, per ESPN’s Bobby Marks.

It also doesn’t hurt that both Thomas and Crowder are outperforming their contracts by NBA standards, along with having a smaller combined salary in comparison to Irving’s by $6M.

Staying in the present, Cleveland’s bench has been bolstered mightily, on paper at least. Either Thomas or newly signed Derrick Rose will come off the bench. Along with either guard will come the options of Iman Shumpert, Kyle Korver, Jeff Green, Richard Jefferson, Channing Frye and of course Crowder. From the outside looking in, the Cavaliers bench should become a formidable group. Decent mix of scoring, shooting, defense and athleticism should be enough for this season. Only thing missing from their bench is a proven center, which could become Ante Zizic as time progresses.

For Cleveland’s bench, the only way is up. Last regular season, their reserves averaged 29.1 points per game (28th in league); 43.7 percent shooting (20th in league); and 30.9 efficiency (29th in league).

Long term thinking, and the Cavaliers can hold the NBA hostage. Acquiring the Nets pick, which is unprotected and likely lottery bound, could become a top pick in the loaded 2018 pick. With personnel around the league expecting the Nets pick to be a high, it could lead the Cavs to possibly dangling it in a possible trade and acquiring another superstar. The possibilities are endless, and it could help the team in their pitch to re-signing LeBron James next summer.

Next year’s summer is one of the biggest is Cavs history. Either the team keeps James and has a high pick, one or the other, or Brooklyn surprises the league and makes the playoffs or just barely misses it. All hypothetical scenarios, but one Cavs fans hope comes to fruition is re-signing Thomas and James, along with acquiring a top pick and drafting a can’t miss prospect or using it in a trade.

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Both teams in the trade are winners at the moment but, as the league has shown in the past, true trade winners can’t be determined until a few seasons pass, and right away it looks like it might be Cleveland.

Until then, this rivalry just got a little bit more interesting. As it’ll continue on Opening Night, with Irving’s return to Cleveland along with Thomas and Crowder’s debut in wine and gold. It’s drama like that as to why the NBA is truly 24/7.

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