Wow, did this come out of left field. Out of nowhere, Boston and Cleveland completed a blockbuster trade. Boston received Kyrie Irving, and Cleveland received Isaiah Thomas, Jae Crowder, Ante Zicic, and the 2018 Brooklyn Nets first round pick. This is a bizarre trade from Boston’s perspective for a number of reasons.
First, why didn’t Boston trade for Jimmy Butler? They capitulated on this massive deal for Kyrie Irving, but not for Butler. Unless the Bulls were infatuated with Kris Dunn, Zach LaVine, or Lauri Markkanen, it’s hard to believe Boston couldn’t have beaten Minnesota’s offer, while still paying less for Butler than what they did for Irving.