It’s not often that a player who finished top-five in NBA MVP voting gets traded, but that’s exactly what went down Tuesday night as the Boston Celtics sent point guard Isaiah Thomas to the Cleveland Cavaliers in exchange for All-Star point guard Kyrie Irving.
Cleveland also received forward Jae Crowder, center Ante Zizic and a 2018 unprotected first-round pick (Brooklyn’s).
Irving, 25, is three years younger than Thomas, who is still recovering from a hip injury that kept him out of the final three games last season.
Thomas will become a free agent next season while Irving still has three years left on his contract.
Irving was reportedly the player Wolves stars Jimmy Butler and Karl-Anthony Towns were urging the front office to trade for, although the idea of a blockbuster deal seemed unlikely.
