Trade sends IT to Cleveland, Kyrie to Boston

VF21

Super Moderator Emeritus
SME
#61
I think he can certainly be second guessed but it seems like they wanted to make a big signing and a trade and they weren't going to do the trade until they had the signed player in place. George was traded before Hayward became official, if I recall?

Celts are a team I like and while I am ok with the trade I don't really like it either. But I guess I'd be slightly more comfortable maxing our Kyrie than I would IT, and that is the reality Ainge faces, and he bought one more year with Kyrie too.
Don't you think that perhaps IT's hip played a factor in Ainge's decision?
 
#62
Don't you think that perhaps IT's hip played a factor in Ainge's decision?
I feel like IT and the pick should have gotten Kyrie given that Kyrie said he wanted out and was threatening to no show camp. I also think Ainge could have done better with the package of assets than Kyrie. But it's all water under the bridge.

I guess it's more about what I think about Kyrie than anything else.
 
#63
I feel like IT and the pick should have gotten Kyrie given that Kyrie said he wanted out and was threatening to no show camp. I also think Ainge could have done better with the package of assets than Kyrie. But it's all water under the bridge.

I guess it's more about what I think about Kyrie than anything else.
I don't think he threatened the no show until after the deal with Boston started to look like it might not go through. I may be wrong.
 
#64
I think the main point is, that Stevens doesn't need to change his system at all with the addition of Irving for IT. The Celtics are used to play off a scoring PG and they are used to cover that PG on D. Hayward is a good defender and an overall upgrade over Crowder. Smart is able to take Bradleys role on D, while Tatum and Brown mature. Amir wasn't a heavy minutes guy, because Stevens likes to downsize. Morris fits Stevens prefered playstyle way better and could serve as a full time starter at PF.
Irvings last stint as an alpha dog was 2013-14 and Irving was 21 years old, playing on a team featuring young and stupid Dion Waiters and Luol Deng as the next two best players. I think it's reasonable to expect a bit more out of him after plenty of finals experiences and with a much better team tailormade for his playstyle. The biggest questionmark with Irving is his health, but IT's hip made this red flag a lot less scary.
Irving is pretty much the same player IT's is, but younger, bigger, currently healthy and under contract for the next two seasons at a reasonable 20 millions per year. IT won't take anything less than the max next year, if he gets healthy and he will be past his prime once Tatum and Brown are ready.

Jimmy Butler feels a bit too ISO heavy at the wing for the ball moving addict Stevens. I think Hayward is the better fit (better shooter/ball handler).
Passing on Paul George is the real questionmark, but maybe his affinity for the Lakers played a part in that.

I think the trade will turn out ok for the Celtics. Yes they overpaid a bit, when you look at the return for other stars like Butler, but Irving is a solid fit and a top-5 PG in his early prime. I'm a bit worried about the chemistry and the team identity, because Bradley and Crowder seemed to be key players in that regard, but Hayward looks like a guy from the same blue collar mold, so maybe with him and Smart as the most likely leaders it will be the same "no nonsense" type of approach that made the Celtics an enjoyable team to watch.
I got the feeling that Kevin Pritchard was told not to trade PG to any Eastern teams or the Lakers by owner Herb Simon. This would at least explain why they took the less than stellar deal from OKC, and why Boston couldn't grab him. Then again they may just not have been really in the mix.
 
#66
IMO the main reason for this trade is the Celtics did not want to pay IT Max money. So they get Kyrie for two years on a nice deal. The cost was the blue chip pick, Crowder and the Rookie Big. They have two other high picks. Hayward, Brown and Tatum all play the same position as Crowder. Bigs are plentiful.

Considering Ainge picked up all these assets on the cheap I think he did all right. The nice part of sports is we get to watch the results of these deals and rehash them:)
 
#67
Is he? I mean, maybe it's just me, but Marcus Smart seems to have the most undeserved reputation as a good defender this side of Kobe Bryant.
Interesting. I disagree completely. There aren't many guys in the league, that play D like Marcus Smart does with Bradley being on of them. Bradley may be a bit more mobile and can pressure guys a bit better than Smart, but he isn't that bulky and not that versatile because of it. Losing Bradley will hurt more on the offensive end, because he was a reliable 3pt shooter.
 

dude12

Hall of Famer
#70
What is going to be interesting is how is IT going to fit in with Lebron. In Sacramento and Phoenix, he was not the number one option and it appears there were problems. In Boston, he was fortunate that the team needed him to play hero ball and he put up numbers. I think not enough is being made of Irving played his role with Cleveland as the secondary go to guy. Thought he did well at it as it can't be easy with Lebron being the alpha there. Will be interesting.
 

VF21

Super Moderator Emeritus
SME
#71
#75