Celtics Add Second-Round Pick To Complete Irving-Thomas Trade
BOSTON (CBS) -- Kyrie Irving is officially a Boston Celtic. Finally.
The Boston Celtics and Cleveland Cavaliers announced the deal was officially done late Wednesday night, when the Celtics agreed to add Miami's 2020 second-round draft pick to the blockbuster trade.
The Celtics and Cavaliers initially pulled off the stunning trade on Aug. 22, with Boston sending Isaiah Thomas, Jae Crowder, Ante Zizic and the Brooklyn Nets' 2018 first-round pick to Cleveland in exchange for Irving.
The basketball world reacted to the news for nearly three full days, but on Friday night, ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported that the Cavaliers did not like what they saw when they examined Thomas' injured hip. As a result, the team was evaluating its options.
Reports varied over the weekend, though one report stated that the Cavaliers were hoping to get the Celtics to add either Jaylen Brown or Jayson Tatum to the trade package.
Thomas, 28, is coming off a career year in which he averaged 28.9 points per game and was named to the All-NBA Second Team. He's entering the final year of his contract and will become a free agent at the end of the 2017-18 season.
Irving, 25, requested a trade out of Cleveland despite the Cavaliers reaching the last three NBA Finals -- and winning it all in 2016. He set a career high with 25.6 points per game while averaging 5.8 assists per game.
The Celtics and Cavaliers will kick off the NBA season when they face each other on Oct. 17.