- While Kyrie Irving and Isaiah Thomas were the big names trading places, the fate of the blockbuster trade between the Cavaliers and Celtics could come down to how well Jae Crowder fares in Cleveland, Jesse Blancarte of Basketball Insiders writes.
Even before the Celtics finally completed their acquisition of Kyrie Irving late on Wednesday night, it had been an eventful offseason for Danny Ainge and the C’s, who traded the first overall pick in June and then signed one of the summer’s top free agents in July. A year after finishing atop the Eastern Conference standings with a 53-29 record, Boston appears to have an even more talented roster, but the club will be lacking continuity after a busy summer.
Irving, Gordon Hayward, and Jayson Tatum are the big-name acquisitions in Boston, but there are changes up and down the roster, with only four returning players (Al Horford, Marcus Smart, Jaylen Brown, and Terry Rozier). Head coach Brad Stevens will have his work cut out for him as he looks to incorporate 11 new players into the mix to start the 2017/18 season.
In addition to Irving, Hayward, and Tatum, the Celtics’ notable additions include Marcus Morris, Aron Baynes, and a slew of rookies, including Guerschon Yabusele, Semi Ojeleye, and Abdel Nader. While that’s a solid group, Boston’s departing players shouldn’t be overlooked. The club lost two of its best defenders in Avery Bradley and Jae Crowder, and sacrificed some size and rebounding by parting with Kelly Olynyk, Amir Johnson, and Tyler Zeller. Gerald Green and Jonas Jerebko are gone too.
Despite all the turnover on the roster, offshore betting site Bovada.lv is bullish on the Celtics’ chances to once again claim the No. 1 seed in the East in 2017/18. Bovada has placed Boston’s over/under at 55.5 wins, the top projection in the Eastern Conference.
What do you think? Can the Celtics win 56 games or more, or will the team experience some growing pains as all the new players adjust to Stevens’ system and to one another? Vote below in our poll, then jump into the comment section to share your thoughts!
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Previous over/under voting results:
- Golden State Warriors: Over 67.5 (53.57%)
A report earlier this week suggested that friction between the Knicks‘ young phenom Kristaps Porzingis and head coach Jeff Hornacek caused the Latvian to skip his exit meeting earlier this offseason. However, Marc Berman of the New York Post reports that issues between the player and coach were not the source of Porzingis’ issue with the team.
Porzingis was reportedly frustrated with the front office (particularly ex-president Phil Jackson) and the team’s treatment of Carmelo Anthony. Issues between Hornacek and Porzingis suggest that his problems with the team went beyond Jackson and company. Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News reported in July that Porzingis and Hornacek’s relationship “sat on rocky terrain” for most last season, partly because of his loud and critical treatment of the Knicks’ former first-round pick.
“We try to get good relationships with all our guys, not just the star guys,” Hornacek said to Bondy about his relationships with players on the team. “We’re talking to these guys every day. We see them every day. We travel with them. As a group we’re trying to do more things as a team, kind of family-type stuff. We’ll try to grow on that, that way.”
For what it’s worth, the Knicks have insisted that the organization’s future rests on its young assets with the 22-year-old Porzingis at the forefront. With key changes to the front office and the roster, New York enters 2017/18 with cooled expectations but a clearer vision for the future.
Below you can read additional news around the Atlantic Division:
- The “Process” of the Sixers rebuilding and trying to be competitive is over, swingman Nik Stauskas says to William Lou of theScore. The Sixers drafted Markelle Fultz first overall, signed J.J. Redick, and are hoping for healthy seasons from Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid If those elements come together, Stauskas feels the team can win.
- Jared Sullinger is one of several remaining free agent targets for the Nets, according to SB Nation’s NetsDaily (Twitter link). Brooklyn has two open roster spots and approximately $5MM in cap space, NetsDaily adds.
- With the Kyrie Irving trade complete, Chris Forsberg of ESPN writes that Boston can now focus on how the current roster shapes up and how the big three of Irving, Gordon Hayward, and first-round pick Jayson Tatum will mesh.
- While Celtics’ general manager Danny Ainge gave up a king’s ransom for Irving, CSN New England’s A. Sherrod Blakely writes that Ainge was right to complete the deal for the superstar guard.
The Celtics and Cavaliers have reached an agreement that will end the week-long hold-up of the Kyrie Irving deal, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.com reports (Twitter link). In addition to the previously agreed upon bounty—Isaiah Thomas, Jae Crowder, Ante Zizic, and Brooklyn’s 2018 first-round pick—Boston will also send a 2020 second-round pick to Cleveland.
The additional pick on the move is Miami’s 2020 selection. Boston received the pick back in 2015 when the Heat attached it to Zoran Dragic in order to move his salary.
The two sides had an agreement in place eight days ago, but Cleveland had concerns over Isaiah Thomas‘ hip after examining the point guard during the routine post-trade physical. After the discovery, the Cavs re-engaged with Boston in the hopes of receiving either a young prospect or a future first-rounder on top of the players in the original offer, suggesting that the Celtics understated the scope of Thomas’ injury. However, Boston was firm on not giving up anything more than the second-rounder in the deal.
It was reported earlier today that there’s at least a slight chance that Thomas misses the entire 2017/18 season if his recovery doesn’t progress as smoothly as hoped. How IT heals and returns from his hip injury will be a major developing story as the season progresses for a bevy of reasons. The point guard can become a free agent at the end of the campaign. So can LeBron James. Both the team and James would certainly like to evaluate how Thomas fits alongside the four-time MVP before any future decisions are made.
For the Celtics, another excellent offseason seemingly concludes. A year after signing Al Horford to a four-year deal, the team made several additions that should help in both the short- and long-term. Boston landed the No. 1 pick in the lottery and dealt it to the Sixers for the pick that became Jayson Tatum – one of the most pro-ready prospects from the 2017 draft – and an additional future first-rounder. The franchise also agreed to terms with Gordon Hayward before trading for Marcus Morris.
Adding Irving to the mix only solidifies the Celtics as a true contender in the Eastern Conference. The C’s bested Cleveland and the rest of their conference rivals with 53 wins last season, though they were dispatched handily by the Cavs in the Eastern Finals as they watched an LBJ-led team dance into the NBA Finals for a seventh straight season.
The last team to win the East without LeBron? The 2009/10 Celtics. That squad, which was led by Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce, beat James’ Cavaliers in the King’s last game before moving to Miami before reaching the NBA Finals. Boston will again look to get by James in 2017/18 in the hopes of landing the Eastern Conference crown and this time, the Larry O’Brien Trophy as well.
The Cavs and Celtics play each other in the league’s first game of the 2017/18 season. There’s plenty of time to get your popcorn ready for the October 17 showdown and the upcoming season.
Photo Courtesy of USA Today Images
Former Cavaliers GM David Griffin believes the Kyrie Irving trade will take place as originally constructed, as Sam Amico of Amico Hoops relays.
“There’s not a lot of upside to this deal coming undone, for either side,” Griffin said on NBA TV. “Because of that, I think it will end up going through as is. Hopefully, they’ll be able to get Isaiah to a point where he’s ready sooner than people think.”
Boston originally agreed to send Isaiah Thomas, Jae Crowder, Ante Zizic and Brooklyn’s 2018 pick to Cleveland for Kyrie Irving. Griffin said that if he were still the team’s GM, he would have made that trade.
“I think I would have,” he told NBA TV. “I really think Koby Altman made a tremendous trade here, given the circumstances. When you’re trying to win a championship, there is no in between. You’re all the way with me, or you’re all the way against me. And I think this is a situation where Kyrie made it clear he had a goal that might not have jived with Cleveland’s.
“They made a deal that, even in the absence of Isaiah Thomas, is a tremendous collection of assets. At the same time, Boston made a trade to get a piece that really could be a key for them — a 25-year old player in his prime, an NBA champion, an Olympic champion. He is really just starting to scratch the surface of who he can be.”
That was Boston’s offer for Irving before all the players involved took their physicals with their new teams and Cleveland expressed concern over Isaiah Thomas’ hip. Griffin added that he suspects Thomas’ injury wasn’t a surprise to the Cavs.
“When you go through these deals, you share all the information you have, you share all the images you have. If the most recent images of Isaiah were as far back as the playoffs, a new set of images now will create the ability to compare and contrast, and see how things have improved.
“So I don’t think it’s a situation where anybody was caught off guard. It was just a case of getting perhaps more information. Obviously, Isaiah is in this league because he has heart and soul that is almost unparalleled, and I believe him when he says he’s gonna be back to 100 percent.”
The two teams have until Thursday morning to finalize an agreement. However, if both sides decided to, they could extend the deadline.
In our recap earlier today of where things stand on the Kyrie Irving front, we passed along several items of interest from ESPN’s Zach Lowe, who identified a number of potential trade partners for the Cavaliers if their deal with the Celtics falls through. Lowe also cited sources who said that there’s at least a slight chance Isaiah Thomas could miss the entire 2017/18 season if his recovery doesn’t progress as smoothly as hoped.
Lowe’s in-depth piece on the Irving situation included a few more noteworthy details, which we’ll pass along here:
- Timing played a major part in the Celtics‘ decision to go hard after Irving, rather than Paul George or Jimmy Butler. As Lowe notes, the team wanted to add two star players this summer, but wanted to make sure it could land Gordon Hayward in free agency before giving up key assets for that second star. Because the Bulls and Pacers agreed in June to trade their stars, they were no longer options for Boston, post-Hayward.
- Irving’s age was also a key consideration for the Celtics, says Lowe. With Boston poised to build around young pieces like Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, the fact that Irving is two years younger than either George or Butler was important, and allows the C’s to extend their window of contention.
- The Celtics also had some concerns about how Butler and Hayward might mesh – on and off the court – if they were to acquire both players, sources tell Lowe.
- Even if the Celtics have to include a little more in the Irving deal to get it done, they still may be the most well-stocked team in the league in terms of trade assets, according to Lowe, who notes that could become important if the Pelicans eventually make Anthony Davis available. There’s no indication at this point that New Orleans will do so, but the Celtics’ eyes “are very much trained on” Davis, says Lowe.
- According to Lowe, if Irving officially becomes a Celtic, he could play a part in helping to recruit an additional superstar, since the league’s stars respect Irving’s “ballsy showman’s game.” Celtics president Danny Ainge likes Irving more than many of his peers around the NBA for some of the same reasons, Lowe adds.
- If the Celtics lock up Marcus Smart to a long-term deal, it’s more likely to happen in 2018 than this offseason, per Kyler.
[SOURCE LINK]
It has been eight days since both the Celtics and Cavaliers announced the completion of a trade that sent Kyrie Irving to Boston in exchange for Isaiah Thomas, Jae Crowder, Ante Zizic, and the Nets’ 2018 first-round pick. However, more than a week later, we still can’t classify the deal as “completed.”
As first reported last Friday by ESPN, the Cavaliers expressed concern after their own doctors conducted a physical exam on Thomas’ injured hip. That concern has pushed the Cavaliers to re-engage the Celtics about acquiring further compensation in the blockbuster deal. Although it took a few days for the two sides to make contact again, that reportedly happened on Tuesday.
Here’s a breakdown of what we know about the situation, and when we can expect resolution:
7:00pm: The Cavs and Celtics started to engage each other on a solution today, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN writes. Wojnarowski adds that the Cavs are no longer looking for Boston’s top young players (Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown had been previously mentioned) or significant draft picks. League sources tell Wojnarowski that a late first-round pick or second-round pick could suffice.
5:00pm: While the prevailing narrative throughout the NBA world this week has been about the Cavaliers supposedly seeking to renegotiate the Kyrie Irving trade, Mark Murphy of the Boston Herald points out that the two sides haven’t actually spoken about it following Cleveland’s medical examination of Isaiah Thomas‘ now famous hip.
The Cavs have until Thursday morning to void the deal if the two clubs don’t decide to mutually extend that deadline.
Per A. Sherrod Blakely of CSN New England, the Cavaliers don’t believe that they were duped by Danny Ainge and the C’s, just that the two clubs interpreted Thomas’ prognosis differently.
Even if the Cavs did look for additional compensation after the fact, Chris Forsberg of ESPN writes that he believes Boston should stand pat lest something as seemingly trivial as a late pick turn into a sleeper star or potentially facilitate a trade for a superstar.
Sean Deveney of The Sporting News echoes Forsberg’s sentiments, albeit for slightly different reasons. Since the Cavaliers knew as much about Thomas’ hip as the Celtics did, Boston caving to retroactive concerns about a trade would set a bad precedent.
Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders does a good job of shining light on the conundrum from Cleveland’s perspective and points out that NBA circles tend to agree that the Celtics would agree to more compensation.
Kyler highlights the fact that the Cavs were clearly looking for veteran players who could help them contend this season. If Thomas isn’t able to perform at a high level come the second half of the 2017/18 season, he isn’t exactly the “win-now” player the team sought from the get-go when Irving requested his trade.
What’s more, an injured Thomas would represent $6MM of luxury taxed money and limit Cleveland’s roster flexibility.
Again, while fans and scribes can discuss the details and general ethics of a hypothetical renegotiation, it’s worth pointing out that the Cavs haven’t actually contacted Ainge about doing so.
If they still haven’t by 10:00 AM CST Thursday, the trade will officially be in the books.
AUGUST 29: The Celtics have officially signed Peak, per RealGM’s log of NBA transactions.
AUGUST 28: The Celtics and rookie swingman L.J. Peak have agreed to a partially guaranteed contract, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN tweets. The former Georgetown forward will likely be ticketed to Boston’s G-League affiliate, the Maine Red Claws, Wojnarowski adds.
Undoubtedly, Peak would have to be make a huge impression during training camp to nab a spot on Boston’s opening-night roster. Boston now has 19 players on the roster — 14 with guaranteed deals, three more with partial guarantees and a couple of two-way contracts, as Bobby Marks of ESPN.com notes (Twitter link).
The 6’5” Peak played three seasons with the Hoyas. He averaged 16.3 PPG, 3.8 RPG and 3.5 APG last season as a junior, then went undrafted as an early entrant. He played for the Rockets’ summer-league team and averaged 7.3 PPG in 13.7 MPG in four appearances while making half of his 3-point attempts.