Cavs and Celtics finally come to terms on Kyrie Irving-Isaiah Thomas blockbuster

Vikram Bodas

It’s been eight long days since the Cavaliers and Celtics agreed to the first iteration of a deal that originally sent All-Star point guard Kyrie Irving to Boston in exchange for Isaiah Thomas, Jae Crowder, Ante Zizic and Brooklyn’s 2018 first-round pick, but the two sides finally made the trade official.

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After reports surfaced that Cleveland’s medical staff had significant concerns over Thomas’ injured right hip, the Cavs sought further compensation before officially finalizing the deal. Unable to pry away a first-round pick from the Celtics, the Cavaliers instead negotiated a second-round pick in addition to the original package to complete the deal. The pick comes via the Miami Heat in 2020.

The teams jointly announced the finalization of the trade in a statement on Wednesday night.

The Milwaukee Bucks were reportedly ready to pounce on a trade for Irving if the deal fell through, but the prospect of acquiring an All-Star point guard in addition to a handful of quality assets for Irving proved too sweet for first-year Cavaliers general manager Kobe Altman to pass up, despite alleged concerns over Thomas’ hip.

Thomas has one year remaining on his contract. As reports surfaced about Cleveland’s reluctance over the right femoral-acetabular impingement with labral tear that Thomas re-aggravated during the playoffs, costing him the final three-plus games of the Eastern Conference finals, the 28-year-old addressed the issue publicly on Tuesday, telling ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, “I am not damaged.”

More on the trade from Ball Don’t Lie:

• How the East was won: Kyrie Irving, LeBron James and a conference reborn
• The health of Isaiah Thomas’ hip may be the key to the Cavs-Celtics blockbuster
• Kyrie Irving, Isaiah Thomas, alternate timelines and the impossibility of grading the trade
• Five people — besides LeBron — who will be impacted by the Kyrie Irving trade
• The Kyrie Irving-Isaiah Thomas trade: What went wrong and where we stand