Looking Back on the Kyrie Irving Trade
Back in 2017, when Kyrie Irving was traded for Isaiah Thomas, it was widely accepted as a good trade for both teams. The trade was essentially swapping All-Star point guards, with the Cavs getting some compensation since Kyrie was the better of the two. Looking back now in 2020, how has that trade turned out for both teams?
When the trade was made, the official trade was Kyrie Irving for Isaiah Thomas, Ante Zizic, Jae Crowder, the Brooklyn Nets 2018 unprotected first-round pick and a 2020 second-round pick, which was added because Isaiah failed his physical. With only two of the assets still on the team, not counting this year’s second-round pick, what have those assets turned into?
First off, at the 2018 trade deadline, due to horrible team chemistry, the Cavaliers traded Isaiah Thomas and Channing Frye for Jordan Clarkson and Larry Nance. They also traded Jae Crowder and Derrick Rose in a three-team deal and received Rodney Hood. While it might be said that Rose was part of the reason they received Hood, he ended being waived right after, so there was no way Rose was even an asset in the trade. Rose would later go on to show great flashes in Minnesota, but he was viewed as being washed up at the time. So by the end of the offseason, the deal is now Kyrie Irving for Ante Zizic, Collin Sexton, Jordan Clarkson, Larry Nance Jr., Rodney Hood and the second-round pick. Just one year after the trade, they only have one of the three players in the deal, and then the picks, and that’s not the end.
Now, in the 2019 season, the deals with assets from the Kyrie trade aren’t done yet. The Cavs made a deal with the Portland Trailblazers where they traded Rodney Hood for Wade Baldwin, Nik Stauskas and two second-round picks. The Cavs proceeded to trade both Baldwin and Stauskas as a three-team deal, where they also sent out Alec Burks, who had plenty of value on his own and received Brandon Knight, Marquese Chriss and a Houston Rockets protected first-round pick that turned into Dylan Windler. The Cavs proceeded to trade Jordan Clarkson to the Utah Jazz for Dante Exum and two second-round picks. The deals aren’t done yet and it feels like the Kyrie Irving deal has turned into half the Cavs roster.
The last couple trades were when the Cavs traded Brandon Knight, John Henson and the least favorable future second-round pick for Andre Drummond. With them having a stash of second-round picks, it should count it as one of the second-round picks they got from the domino effect of the Kyrie Irving trade. Not to mention, the Cavs traded three future second-round picks along with cash considerations, which are nothing to Dan Gilbert, for Kevin Porter Jr., which were all picks that they got from all these trades. So that just about sums it up.
After going through all the trades and having to track all the second-round picks, the final result of the trade is in place – the Celtics received Kyrie Irving for Collin Sexton, Ante Zizic, Kevin Porter Jr., two-thirds of Andre Drummond, Dylan Windler, Dante Exum, Larry Nance Jr., Marquese Chriss, who left in free agency, and a handful of second-round picks all for Kyrie Irving, who left Boston in free agency. Even though the Celtics signed Kemba Walker, it seems pretty obvious that even if it wasn’t the best trade for the Cavaliers, they clearly won the deal.
