Celtics Co-Owner Reveals Reason For Kyrie Irving, Isaiah Thomas Trade With Cavaliers

The Cleveland Cavaliers traded point guard Kyrie Irving to the Boston Celtics in a multi-player blockbuster deal announced Tuesday night that saw the Cavs receive Isaiah Thomas in exchange.

Kyrie Irving Trade News

The Celtics also sent Jae Crowder, 20-year-old Croatian center Ante Zizic — a top prospect in Europe who did not get to play a single regular-season game in Boston — and the Brooklyn Nets’ 2018 first-round pick to Cleveland as part of the swap.

Boston had already acquired several big-name players this offseason like Gordon Hayward, Marcus Morris and Aron Baynes and traded veteran guard Avery Bradley — who had been with the Celtics since 2010 — to the Detroit Pistons.

Now, many have questioned why the Celtics decided to add Iriving — a four-time All-Star who has been with the Cavs since they drafted him as the No. 1 overall pick out of Duke in 2011 — to their roster, which is also filled with young talent.

Celtics co-owner Wyc Grousbeck explained on Wednesday why the team felt it necessary to acquire Irving, who requested a trade from Cleveland last month amid rumors the point guard felt like he was playing second fiddle to LeBron James. 

“We got bounced pretty hard last year in the playoffs, and then those guys (the Cavs) got bounced pretty hard after that,” Grousbeck told reporters at a “topping off ceremony” at the Celtics’ new training facility in Brighton, Mass. “So, we didn’t feel we were at the top. We didn’t feel we were where we wanted to be, so that’s what you do when you run a team, you do what you have to do to try to get better.”

Grousbeck and Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge seem to be obsessed with Irving, and are hoping adding the 2014 All-Star Game MVP will help Boston win another national title.

“We are really excited about the trade, although it’s bittersweet to let somebody go like IT, let somebody go like Jae,” Grousbeck said. “Kyrie is a transcendent talent, and we are excited to put him together with Gordon Hayward, Al Horford, Marcus Smart. “We want this team to go for Banner 18 and we need to get the best possible players to do that, and that’s what we are trying to do.”

Irving, 25, was initially denied his trade request because the Cavaliers’ front office — which was undergoing personnel changes — said they had not yet found a deal that the franchise would gain from by swapping the veteran point guard. The 2012 NBA Rookie of the Year — who was born in Melbourne, Australia — averaged 25.2 points and 5.8 assists last season in helping the Cavs reach their third straight NBA Finals. Irving also helped lead Cleveland to an NBA championship in 2016.

Thomas, a two-time All-Star who joined the Celtics in 2015, averaged a career-high 28.9 points and 5.9 assists last season while shooting 46.3 percent from the field before a hip injury forced him out of the playoffs. His performance is particularly impressive given his height: the 5-foot-9 point guard is one of the shortest players in the league. Thomas, 28, is set to become a free agent next summer.

According to Marc J. Spears of ESPN’s The Undefeated, the Cavs called the defending national champion Golden State Warriors in an attempt to make a play for shooting guard Klay Thompson in exchange for Irving before they agreed to a deal with the Celtics.

Spears later explained on SportsCenter, however, why he believed Cleveland made a strong decision in sending Irving to Boston. Irving has three years and $60.3 million remaining on his contract, which includes a player option for the final season.

The Celtics and Cavaliers are set to face off to open the NBA regular season in Cleveland on Oct. 17.

Caption:CLEVELAND, OH – FEBRUARY 10: Kyrie Irving #2 of the Cleveland Cavaliers drives during the second half against the Los Angeles Lakers at Quicken Loans Arena on February 10, 2016 in Cleveland, Ohio. The Cavaliers defeated the Lakers 120-111.