More on Isaiah Thomas Trade
Jeff Goodman: Cavs agree to deal Kyrie Irving for Isaiah Thomas, Jae Crowder, Ante Zizic and 2018 Nets pick, source told ESPN.
Shams Charania: Cleveland and Boston have agreement on deal to send Kyrie Irving to the Celtics for Isaiah Thomas package to Cavs, sources tell The Vertical
Brian Windhorst: Cavs and Celtics on verge of a deal: Kyrie Irving for Isaiah Thomas, Jae Crowder, Ante Zizic and 2018 Nets pick unprotected, sources say
Dave McMenamin: CLE will receive BKN 2018 1st round pick - unprotected - from BOS in the trade that is currently being discussed, league source tells ESPN
Isaiah Thomas will have 7 years of service next summer as a FA. Cleveland would inherit his bird rights and could pay him a max salary starting at $30.6M.
Adam Himmelsbach: A league source confirms the Celtics have agreed to trade Isaiah Thomas, Jae Crowder, Ante Zizic and 2018 Nets pick to Cle for Kyrie Irving.
Shams Charania: All-Star Kyrie Irving will waive his trade kicker to complete Cleveland's deal to Boston, league source tells The Vertical.
Adrian Wojnarowski: Sources: Boston, Cleveland on trade call now with league office. Deal is done.
While the potential trade between Boston and Cleveland may center around a pair of All-Stars in Isaiah Thomas and Kyrie Irving, the key to this deal getting done may come down to rookie Jayson Tatum. A league source tells CSNNE.com that the Cavs didn’t want to do a deal with the Celtics if Tatum, taken with the third overall pick in last June’s NBA draft by Boston, wasn’t included.
A different league source said the two teams are negotiating now and that the inclusion of Tatum has been among the possible options as far as getting a deal done.
Adam Himmelsbach: Celtics have had strong interest in Kyrie ever since he hit the market. But they'd been unsure where they stood and unsure of Cavs' timeline
Bobby Marks: IT/Crowder/Zizic combination would save the Cavaliers $19M in taxes. Tax bill goes from $78.4M to $59.2M.
The Cavaliers and Celtics are in serious negotiations on a trade that would send four-time All-Star Kyrie Irving to rival Boston for All-Star Isaiah Thomas, Jae Crowder, and a No. 1 draft pick. A source with with knowledge of the negotiations confirmed them to cleveland.com.
A. Sherrod Blakely: The @Cavs told @Celtics a couple weeks ago they didn't want to do a deal if Jayson Tatum wasn't part of the package, says league source.
A. Sherrod Blakely: Another interesting side note to the Tatum factor in this potential deal. J. Tatum and Kyrie Irving are both represented by the same agent.
The Cleveland Cavaliers and the Boston Celtics are engaged in serious trade discussions centered on swapping All-Star guards Kyrie Irving and Isaiah Thomas, league sources told The Vertical. The teams are still working on the framework of a deal, and Jae Crowder has been included in the discussions, league sources said.
Adrian Wojnarowski: Cleveland and Boston have moved into serious talks on a trade centered on All-Star guard Kyrie Irving, league sources tell ESPN.
Adrian Wojnarowski: Sources: Boston, Cleveland nearing deal on Kyrie Irving, but details still working to completion. Isaiah Thomas, Crowder, pick(s) in talks.
Adrian Wojnarowski: Boston center Ante Zizic also expected to be part of a potential Cleveland deal for Kyrie Irving, league sources tell ESPN.
Bobby Marks: The magic # for the Celtics is $13.8M to get a deal done with Irving waiving his trade kicker. Thomas and Crowder are a combined $13.05M
Bobby Marks: The following Celtics are not eligible to be traded: 1. G. Hayward 2. Marcus Morris (9/7) 3. A. Baynes 4. S. Larkin 5. D. Theis
Shams Charania: Cleveland and Boston engaged in active trade discussions centered on Kyrie Irving and Isaiah Thomas, league sources tell The Vertical.
There are any number of deals that could transpire. A league source said perhaps the best Cleveland could do would be something with Boston, Isaiah Thomas, Jae Crowder, and multiple first-round picks, and then use Thomas to trade for a different piece (wait a minute, didn't I just say I wouldn't do specific scenarios?). The Knicks don't want Kevin Love, so your proposal isn't happening.
But some people wonder whether the Celts will be able to keep all their desired pieces together as Thomas, Avery Bradley and others come up for renewal in this new marketplace. “Yeah, we can fit everybody in,” said Ainge. “But, listen, those are questions that I don’t even have answers for yet. That’s part of the difficult puzzle that is all hard. All I’m saying is those are things I have to worry about that even I don’t like to think about. And I know that those are going to be difficult decisions at some point. But we want to keep Isaiah. All I know is that he’s had an amazing year, and who doesn’t want Isaiah Thomas on their team? Like, you’ve got to be kidding me.”
That could be the first layer of this team to be scrubbed away. The second, and more consequential, would come over the course of the following year. That starts with All-Star Isaiah Thomas, whose name has lately been the subject of trade speculation. But league sources indicate that any talk of dealing Thomas is strictly speculation at this point — the Celtics have had no such discussions. Not yet, at least.
The Celtics’ president of basketball operations appeared Thursday on 98.5 The Sports Hub’s “Toucher & Rich” and was asked to address a report from ESPN’s Jackie MacMullan that he considered trading his All-Star point guard to obtain another lottery pick ahead of the 2016 NBA Draft. Ainge not only shot down that rumor, but he also detailed why such a move would be foolhardy. “We had eight draft picks and were trying to consolidate our picks to move up or out of the draft,” Ainge said, via CBS Boston. “We were also making plans to go get (free agents) Kevin Durant and Al Horford, so why in the world would we go there without Isaiah Thomas and try to have our best player traded for a lottery pick? It just doesn’t make any sense at all.”
GM Danny Ainge wanted to acquire another lottery selection in addition to the team’s top-3 pick and he dangled everyone on the team in trade discussions, including Isaiah Thomas, ESPN’s Jackie MacMullan reports. “Before the draft last year, Danny was trying to get two picks, not just Jaylen Brown,” ESPN’s Jackie MacMullan told Bob Ryan on his podcast (h/t Comcast Sportsnet). “He was on the phone with everybody from coast to coast, and he was offering everybody. That includes Marcus Smart and Isaiah Thomas, and anything else they needed to get where he wanted to go. There were no untouchables on that team last year.”
The Celtics have one of the NBA’s better backcourts, a nice blend of offense (Isaiah Thomas), defense (Marcus Smart, Terry Rozier) and a burgeoning star capable of both (Avery Bradley). It’s also one of the league’s most affordable, with Bradley ($8.3 million) and Thomas ($6.6 million) making well below market value, and Smart and Rozier on rookie deals. That will change soon. Smart is eligible for an extension in 2017. A $10 million-plus offer will be the starting point of negotiations. Thomas and Bradley will be free agents in 2018, eligible for max salaries of $32.4 million per season. Neither will likely come near that, but understand: This is the ballpark Boston is playing in. The Celtics won’t pay all of them. They can’t pay all of them, not if they want to continue to pursue another impact player. If the Celtics make a significant trade, it will undoubtedly include one or more of their star guards.
