We might finally be getting close to a solution in the ongoing Kyrie Irving trade saga. A quick refresher: The Cleveland Cavaliers made a somewhat surprising move and traded Irving to their biggest rivals in the Eastern Conference, the Boston Celtics, for Isaiah Thomas, Jae Crowder, Ante Zizic, and Brooklyn’s unprotected first round pick in the 2018 NBA Draft.
However, after giving Thomas a physical and seeing that his injured hip wasn’t up to par (something he denies is the case), the Cavaliers decided to head back to the Celtics and demand more in return, with one of Boston’s brightest young assets being their preferred addition to the deal.
But as it turns out, Cleveland may be willing to lower the bar significantly. According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the Cavaliers don’t need a Jayson Tatum or a Jaylen Brown to pull the trigger on a deal. In fact, they’d be willing to do it for far less, and they’re talking with the Celtics on getting this thing done.
Cleveland and Boston officials started to engage each other on a solution on Tuesday, league sources told ESPN. Cleveland is no longer seeking one of the Celtics’ top young players or significant draft picks, league sources said. The Cavaliers could be inclined to complete the deal for a late first-round pick or second-round considerations, league sources said.
Should this be true, going from a player like Tatum or Brown to a late-first or second round pick is quite the concession from the Cavaliers. Wojnarowski noted that the trade needs to be done soon — saying the deadline for players in this deal to pass physicals is 10 a.m. on Thursday — so as long as both sides want to find a solution, we could be on the verge of this entire saga ending soon.
(Via ESPN)
