{"id":9463,"date":"2017-08-22T19:40:24","date_gmt":"2017-08-22T23:40:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lwosonnba.ms.lastwordonsports.com\/?p=9463"},"modified":"2017-08-22T19:40:24","modified_gmt":"2017-08-22T23:40:24","slug":"cleveland-cavaliers-trade-kyrie-irving-to-boston-celtics-for-isaiah-thomas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2017\/08\/22\/cleveland-cavaliers-trade-kyrie-irving-to-boston-celtics-for-isaiah-thomas\/","title":{"rendered":"Cleveland Cavaliers Trade Kyrie Irving to Boston Celtics for Isaiah Thomas"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Cleveland Cavaliers have traded Kyrie Irving<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0to the Boston Celtics for Isaiah Thomas<\/a><\/strong>, Jae Crowder<\/a><\/strong>, Ante Zizic<\/a>,<\/strong> and the 2018 Brooklyn Nets first round draft pick. After a month of reports stemming out of Kyrie\u2019s request to be traded, the day has finally come. Since that initial report the scenarios had included a list of teams Kyrie gave to the Cleveland front office, speculation from inside reports and where he could actually fit in with his style, and the potential departure of LeBron James<\/a><\/strong>. Reports varying from every angle and not too many were convinced Boston would be the place Irving could actually land.<\/span><\/p>\n

Cleveland Cavaliers Trade Kyrie Irving<\/a> to Boston Celtics for Isaiah Thomas<\/h2>\n

What Does Next Season Look Like?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

This blockbuster trade shakes up both teams, but more importantly it shakes up the Eastern Conference. The number one and number two team in the East just swapped quality players. Boston and Cleveland met in the Eastern Conference Finals last season, where James and Irving cruised to a 4-1 series victory. Boston had come off a long 7-game series vs. the Washington Wizards and beat Cleveland in Quicken Loans Arena in game 3. However, there was little competition as Cleveland had defeated them by 44 and 33 points in Boston. <\/span><\/p>\n

As long as no other trades or signings are made, the potential starting lineups for each team will be:<\/span><\/p>\n

Boston \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0Cleveland<\/span><\/p>\n

PG: Kyrie Irving \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0<\/span> PG: Isaiah Thomas<\/span><\/p>\n

SG: Jaylen Brown<\/a><\/strong><\/span>\u00a0<\/strong> \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0SG: J.R. Smith<\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

SF: Gordon Hayward<\/a><\/strong><\/span>\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0SF: LeBron James<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

PF: Marcus Morris<\/a><\/strong><\/span>\u00a0<\/strong> \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0PF: Kevin Love<\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

C: Al Horford<\/a><\/strong><\/span>\u00a0<\/strong> \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0C: Tristan Thompson<\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Tuesday October 17th, 2017. The Boston Celtics visit the Cleveland Cavaliers on opening night of the 2017-2018 season. The hype around this game was already high, but with this trade it is easily one of the top games to watch this year. Obviously both teams are poised to clash in the Eastern Conference Finals again, but this time with extra drama added to the rivalry. <\/span><\/p>\n

Main Photo
\nEmbed from Getty Images<\/a>