In a summer full of NBA blockbusters that saw superstars like Paul George, Chris Paul, and Jimmy Butler all get traded, arguably the biggest move was between the Boston Celtics and Cleveland Cavaliers.

In this shocking move between the two Eastern Conference rivals, the Cleveland Cavaliers received:

-Isaiah Thomas (28), a point guard who finished third last season in scoring with 28.9 points per game. One concern with Thomas is his size (5’9), which limits his defensive impact, and the fact that his contract expires next season, meaning the Cavaliers will likely have to give him a massive contract in order to keep him. Another potential problem with Thomas is his injury. Thomas was ruled out for the rest of the playoffs last season when he re-aggravated a hip injury. This could potentially impact his performance the following season. Some doctors think he will be able to play the full season, while others feel he could miss all of it. The controversy surrounding this situation made the Cavaliers hesitant to pull the trigger, almost resulting in the trade being voided.

-Jae Crowder (27), a versatile forward/winger who can defend multiple positions at a high level and made 39.8% of this three point attempts last year.

-A Brooklyn Nets unprotected 2018 pick, which the Celtics received in the infamous Paul Pierce trade. Most project the pick will finish in the top 5. The Nets finished last year with the worst record in the NBA. There are rumors of this valuable pick potentially being used to trade for another star to add to the Cavs lineup, but it is all dependent on whether or not Lebron James decides to stay in Cleveland, with his contract expiring next offseason.

-A Boston Celtics 2020 second round pick, which the celtics added to complete the deal after controversy arose over Thomas’s health.

-Ante Zizic (20), a young, unproven center who the Celtics took last year with the 23rd pick in the 2016 Draft

The Boston Celtics received:

Kyrie Irving (25), a scoring point guard who is under contract until 2020, and has more defensive upside than Thomas. Over the summer, Irving requested to be traded from the Cavaliers, not wanting to live in the shadow of Lebron James. Last year, Kyrie Irving played a huge role in eliminating the Celtics in the Eastern Conference Finals.

The blockbuster deal was very controversial, resulting in several different opinions on the trade.

CJ Armitage (10), feels that “if Isaiah plays like he did this past season then the Cavaliers got a major steal. However, if he is not at 100%, then the Celtics won the trade despite the fact they gave up a high pick. The reason Cleveland made this trade is because they want to keep Lebron and they think that this will help that situation. We will see this next season who really got the better deal.”

Zwe Latt (10), thinks that “the Cavaliers got robbed. Isaiah Thomas is an inefficient point guard who can not defend and will be exploited by Cleveland’s opponents every night.”

Alex Wang (11), was “shocked that the Celtics would trade Isaiah Thomas, who was the heart and soul of their team last year. I guess they did it because of his lack of defense combined with his injury concerns. I look forward to watching the new-look Celtics next year, who have lost all three of their best players from last year, and replaced them with Gordon Hayward and Kyrie Irving.”

Right now, it is impossible to determine the winner of this trade, as only time will tell. However, in this trade, both teams did get what they want. Boston got a skilled scorer and ball-handler in Irving, with less health concerns, and better defensive potential with a better contract. They also freed up more minutes for their young wings like Tatum and Brown by trading Crowder. For Cleveland, they retained their scoring from the point guard position with Thomas, added a versatile 3 and D forward in Crowder, draft picks in the first and second rounds, and a young big man in Zizic.

The Cleveland Cavaliers and Boston Celtics will face off against each other on October 18th, which is NBA opening day.

Craig Dawe