Windhorst: Towns and Butler pushing for Irving trade

[thedoper]

I wonder what kind of passive aggressive comments Lebron has prepared for IT when he arrives.

[KiwiMatt]

The CLE - BOS trade was one of those trades where both teams came out better. I really didn't think the Cavs would get the haul they did with the situation Irving put them in. Can't wait for these teams to match up in next years playoffs.

[Monster]

The CLE - BOS trade was one of those trades where both teams came out better. I really didn't think the Cavs would get the haul they did with the situation Irving put them in. Can't wait for these teams to match up in next years playoffs.

It's not the playoffs but their first regular season game is against each other so that should be fun.

Meanwhile Wiggins is switching agents. Bazz is such a trendsetter. Next thing you know Wiggins will have a Louis Vuitton backpack.

[Lipoli390]

The CLE - BOS trade was one of those trades where both teams came out better. I really didn't think the Cavs would get the haul they did with the situation Irving put them in. Can't wait for these teams to match up in next years playoffs.

I agree, Matt. Looks like a win-win deal for both teams.

Cleveland upgraded it's depth, adding a player in Crowder who is a real two-way wing with lots left in his tank. He's a huge upgrade over Richard Jefferson and yet the Cavs still have Jefferson for additional depth. Thomas gives the Cavs a top-level PG to replace Kyrie and the 2018 New Jersey pick gives the Cavs a high lottery pick to infuse talented youth into an elite team if LeBron stays or around whom the Cavs can start rebuilding if LeBron leaves. The wild card in this for the Celtics is the health of Thomas. His hip injury is the sort of thing that can end a career. Apparently, he's having a scan in early Sept. to assess where he's at. If there are lingering effects of the hip injury that slow him down, that will be a serious blow to the Cavs. And it will be even worse if Thomas ends up requiring surgery.

Boston replaces Thomas with a bigger, younger and I think better PG on a 2-year deal. Along with Hayward and Horford, the Celtics has a very strong threesome by Eastern Conference standards. But the Celtics have lost a lot of quality depth this summer. They are obviously counting on Brown and Tatum to be positive contributors this season.

I'm just glad Kyrie's staying in the Eastern Conference!!

[Q12543 [enjin:6621299]]

Well, it's about time Boston cashed in some of their chips. I felt they could have easily put a great package together to land Butler or George, both of whom I think are better than Hayward, but they sat on their hands.

This is a good deal for both sides. Cleveland's return is a perfect balance between established vets that can keep them in contention this year and other assets that help them prepare for a Lebron-less future.

I still think the Celtics might struggle against size.....

[Lipoli390]

Well, it's about time Boston cashed in some of their chips. I felt they could have easily put a great package together to land Butler or George, both of whom I think are better than Hayward, but they sat on their hands.

This is a good deal for both sides. Cleveland's return is a perfect balance between established vets that can keep them in contention this year and other assets that help them prepare for a Lebron-less future.

I still think the Celtics might struggle against size.....

I don't know how hard the Celtics pursued Paul George. But I think it's clear Indiana wasn't willing to trade George to an Eastern Conference team. I also think the Celtics are much better off with Hayward and Irving than they would be with George and Thomas. Hayward's obviously not as good as George, but he's still very good and he's likely to stay with the Celtics while there was a good chance George would head to the Lakers after one year. Irving is 25 years old with 2 years left on his contract compared to Thomas who is 29 with only one year left. Add Thomas's hip injury to the equation and I think the Celtics are in a much better spot than they'd be if they had Thomas and George.

[AbeVigodaLive]

Cleveland got a very nice haul for Irving. Two proven players and a likely top 5 pick. Don't see any team outside of the Suns that could have given a better return.

During the Kyrie Irving trade rumor season... most Wolves fans were pretty reluctant to give up Wiggins for him even though the national media folks thought any such reservations were silly.

Seems like the perception out there about Irving's value was legit. That's a legit haul for Cleveland. Even with IT being a probable one-year rental, they have a legit player for a one-year title run with James. And then if James bolts, they have the Brooklyn pick (even though it probably won't be quite as high as it once looked).

In summary, Cleveland would have wanted more than just Wiggins in a Wolves deal.

[AbeVigodaLive]

Well, it's about time Boston cashed in some of their chips. I felt they could have easily put a great package together to land Butler or George, both of whom I think are better than Hayward, but they sat on their hands.

This is a good deal for both sides. Cleveland's return is a perfect balance between established vets that can keep them in contention this year and other assets that help them prepare for a Lebron-less future.

I still think the Celtics might struggle against size.....

Hayward was very close last season though. And, he's there longer, during his prime. There's no guarantee Butler was resigning, and especially not George.

Plus, Hayward's career shows he's more than willing to be a complementary piece, or at least one who won't demand to be THE guy. George whined about not being THE guy after one shot by a teammate in one playoff game... despite having the WORST game-winning/clutch shooting stats in the league.

I think Hayward might simply be a better long-term fit for that team and culture.

[SameOldNudityDrew]

Holy balls, just saw the news, and man, I think Cleveland recovered from that situation well! I think Boston made a mistake there, honestly.

IT is not as good as Kyrie, but he's pretty damn close, and a very similar player, so there won't be a difficulty transitioning him in. Crowder is a really good player on a GREAT contract. PLUS the Brooklyn unprotected pick?!? That is incredibly valuable and could help LeBron stay next year if it looks like it's going to land a future All-Star and there look to be a couple who could be coming up in the draft.

Wow, I really see this as a big win for Cleveland, especially considering the circumstances.

[Monster]

Well, it's about time Boston cashed in some of their chips. I felt they could have easily put a great package together to land Butler or George, both of whom I think are better than Hayward, but they sat on their hands.

This is a good deal for both sides. Cleveland's return is a perfect balance between established vets that can keep them in contention this year and other assets that help them prepare for a Lebron-less future.

I still think the Celtics might struggle against size.....

I don't know how hard the Celtics pursued Paul George. But I think it's clear Indiana wasn't willing to trade George to an Eastern Conference team. I also think the Celtics are much better off with Hayward and Irving than they would be with George and Thomas. Hayward's obviously not as good as George, but he's still very good and he's likely to stay with the Celtics while there was a good chance George would head to the Lakers after one year. Irving is 25 years old with 2 years left on his contract compared to Thomas who is 29 with only one year left. Add Thomas's hip injury to the equation and I think the Celtics are in a much better spot than they'd be if they had Thomas and George.

What I have read was that Ainge really didn't think he was going to be able to get George to stay. So his offers were based on a rental and...I'm not sure how much sense that would make if they were thinking they would get Hayward. Did Ainge know Indiana would take that package they did for George? I'm not sure if I can fault them for that possible miscalculation. Plus supposedly Indiana didn't want deal with a possible conference rival. Shug

Butler doesn't fit their profile of 3 point gunner. That's all I got although I can see the Bulls valuing their package they got highly and whether that's right or not we will see.

Like Lip said the fit makes sense. A young PG in Kyrie and the Celtics have a bunch of wings along with Hayward plus they were able to add a Crowder replacement in Morris. Crowder is a better player but getting Morris who is even cheaper was a nice move for them. If you add the Fultz trade into all of this that gets even more interesting. They basically got the player Fultz was supposed to be for a valuable pick, IT (who would make sense to move at some point) and Crowder. I see the idea of doing all this. Wasn't there a report out there that Boston tried to make a move for Kyrie around the draft? Maybe Ainge always thought they could get a deal done for Kyrie and that was part of his plan the whole time. If they really believe Tatum is going to be special these moves make a ton of sense. Don't forget they still have some draft assets to make more moves or add more young players plus thisbdeal opens up a couple roster spots to keep young players they probably like.