Kyrie Irving traded to Boston in blockbuster deal

 The Cleveland Cavaliers and Boston Celtics have reached an agreement to consummate a trade revolving around Kyrie Irving and Isaiah Thomas. The Celtics will receive Irving. In exchange, the Cavaliers will get Isaiah Thomas, Jae Crowder, Croatian big man Ante Zizic, and the Brooklyn Nets’ 2018 unprotected first-round pick.

Irving requested a trade earlier in the offseason, wanting to carry his own team, beyond the shadow of LeBron James. At 25 years of age, Irving has $60 million left on his contract but can opt out of the final year of his deal, before 2019-20.

Cleveland, for their part, has secured some useful assets for the future. There is some uncertainty surrounding whether or not LeBron James will leave the team at the end of 2017-18. Thomas led the Celtics in scoring last season and Crowder is a notable defender. Zizic is a promising 20-year-old Croatian center who could be a building block for the Cavaliers’ future. Considering the Brooklyn Nets are not playoff-contention ready, the pick Cleveland out of this deal could translate into a very good pick in the 2018 draft.