Kyrie Irving is “thrilled” to be a Boston Celtic after the Cavs traded him for Isaiah Thomas, Jae Crowder, Ante Zizic and the Nets’ 2018 first-round pick, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. The Celtics made the move with a “strong belief” that he’ll stay long-term, Woj added.
Kyrie Irving ‘thrilled’ with trade to Celtics, team believes he’ll stay long-term
That’s good news for Boston.
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That’s huge news given Irving’s contract is only guaranteed for the next two seasons, and he has a player option for the 2020-21 season. The Celtics weren’t on Irving’s original reported shortlist of desired destinations, which included the Spurs, Heat, Knicks, and Timberwolves. But given that he has a chance to lead a good team in Boston, potentially to the Finals in his first season there, this is an ideal fit for Irving. General manager Danny Ainge should feel comfortable they can retain him as long as he pairs well with Gordon Hayward and Al Horford.
Of course, anything can happen in time (check what the Cavs front office thought of their chances of trading Irving, say, six months ago) but it’s a good sign for Boston that Irving is stepping into a situation he wants to be in. He even waived his trade kicker to get the deal done. With Cleveland having full control of where he would go, landing in an ideal situation was never a guarantee. But this deal appears to please all parties.
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