Who Won the Celtics Cavs Trade?

After more than a week of back and forth discussions, the Boston Celtics and the Cleveland Cavaliers finally agreed to send Kyrie Irving to the Celtics and Isaiah Thomas, among others, to the Cavaliers.

The news of the trade broke a little more than a week ago. Last week, we learned that the Celtics were going to trade Isaiah Thomas, Jae Crowder, Ante Zizic, and the 2018 first round Brooklyn Nets pick to the Cavaliers for Kyrie Irving.

But after the Cavaliers gave Thomas a physical, they apparently did not like what they saw with Thomas’ hip. The Cavs put the trade on hold and asked for another piece in the deal. After initially asking for a first-round pick or talented young players like Jaylen Brown or Jason Tatum, the Celtics ultimately agreed to throw the Cavaliers a bone with a meaningless 2020 second round pick.

Here was the final trade:

Celtics receive:

Kyrie Irving

Cavaliers receive:

Isaiah Thomas

Jae Crowder

Ante Zizic

2018 Brooklyn Nets first round pick

2020 Celtics second-round pick

Many pundits have said that this is a fair deal. Some analysts have argued that the Cavs won the trade, others have thought that the Celtics won the trade.

This trade makes sense for both teams. Kyrie Irving had forced Cleveland’s hand with a demand for a trade, and the Celtics were in need of a superstar. Additionally, Thomas is in the last year of his deal with the Celtics and is looking for a max contract.

To better determine who “won” the deal, let’s examine the players in the trade one by one.

First up, Isaiah Thomas. At age 28 and in the last year of his deal, Thomas will be coming off a hip injury which will keep him out for part of the upcoming season. Although Thomas had a phenomenal year last year, Thomas’ value is currently on the decline. Isaiah will be asking for a max deal after next season, and it is unclear whether the Celtics were willing to pay him a max contract. If the Celtics had no other options, they probably would have. However, they would have signed that contract reluctantly.

Thomas, as everyone knows, is small. He is listed at 5-foot-9, but he is clearly smaller than that. This limits what he can do on a basketball court. It just does.

Last year, he was unbelievable. He scored 28.9 points, 5.9 assists per game, and made big shots for the Celtics. But in the playoffs, his height was exploited, and he was a defensive liability. At the end of games, he had to be taken out for his defense. Just like Shaquille O’Neil was a liability at the free throw line, Thomas is a liability on defense.

This is a problem.

To sign a guy like Thomas to a max contract would not be a smart decision. Thomas can be a solid second or third piece on a championship roster, but he cannot be “the guy” on a championship team.

Next, Jae Crowder. At age 27, Crowder averaged 13.9 points, 5.8 rebounds per game, and shot nearly 40% from the 3-point line as a starter. However, on a championship team, Crowder is at best a bench player. We saw this in the playoffs. Against elite talent, Crowder was ineffective. Crowder is not good enough to be a starter on a championship team. He is a non-factor in this trade.

Next, Ante Zizic. The seven-foot Croatian was the 23^rd overall pick in the 2016 draft by the Celtics. While playing in Europe last year as a 20-year-old, Zizic averaged 12.3 points and 6.2 rebounds per game. Although there is not much information on Ante Zizic, it looks like he will be more of backup NBA center who provides energy than an elite big man. Although Zizic is young, and he is a big guy, which the Celtics desperately need, Zizic is more or less a non-factor in this trade.

Finally, let’s examine the draft picks. The 2020 second round pick is probably going to be in the late 50s, which rarely creates solid NBA players. This was a useless pick thrown into the trade to make the Cavaliers happy, and should not be a factor in this trade.

The biggest value the Celtics gave up in this trade is next year’s Brooklyn Nets first round pick. It is an unprotected pick, which means that if it is the #1 overall pick like it was this past year, Cleveland would hold onto the pick. This is a gamble for the Celtics, especially given the fact that next year’s draft is supposed to be loaded with talent. Many of those players could be big men as well.

Giving up the Brooklyn pick hurts, but as the saying goes, “you have to give something up to get something.” To get a player of Kyrie Irving’s caliber, the Celtics were going to have to give up a lot of value. Danny Ainge has been holding onto these pieces for a long time, and it was about time that he cashed one of his chips into the bank.

Kyrie Irving is only 25 years old. This is a perfect age for the Celtics roster, and it fits the Celtics Championship timeline better than Thomas’ age of 28. The Celtics are loaded with young talent now, with Jaylen Brown, Jason Tatum, Marcus Smart, and Terry Rozier. Gordon Hayward is only 27 years old as well, and this team is going to be very competitive for many years to come.

Irving is just the type of star the Celtics need. Last season, while playing alongside LeBron James (who can limit opportunities for other players to put up big numbers), Irving scored 25.2 points and 5.8 assists per game, while shooting 40% from 3-point range. He makes big shots in big moments and can be the “go-to-guy” with the game on the line. Although he is not known as a great defender, he has more size than Thomas, and he can hold his own at 6-foot-3. With Brad Stevens as his coach, Irving should put up even bigger numbers than he did in Cleveland, just like Thomas did last year under Stevens.

So, let’s review. The Celtics are giving away Thomas, who they wouldn’t want to sign to a max deal anyway, two bench players, a second-round pick, and a possible lottery pick.

The trade for the Celtics is basically Kyrie Irving for the lottery pick.

I choose Irving.

We will have a better idea after next year’s draft to see who “won” the deal. But right now, it goes to the Celtics.