On This Day In NBA History: August 30 - Cleveland Trades Kyrie Irving To Boston

On this day in 2017, the Cleveland Cavaliers traded All-Star guard Kyrie Irving to the Boston Celtics in a deal that ended up failing for both teams.

Kyrie Irving is one of the best guards of his generation and when you look at guards throughout NBA history, Irving may very well have the best handles ever.

A true wizard with the ball in his hands, Irving is a sensational talent that was one of the main reasons why the Cleveland Cavaliers won their only championship in team history back in 2016. However, shortly after winning this championship, Irving decided that he wanted to be traded in order to play in a situation where he could be the focal point and not be the “Robin” to LeBron James’ “Batman.”

On this day in 2017, the Cavaliers gave in to Kyrie’s request and dealt the All-Star to the Boston Celtics in exchange for guard Isaiah Thomas, forward Jae Crowder, center Ante Zizic and the Brooklyn Nets’ unprotected 2018 first-round pick.

Initially, it seemed like both teams made out pretty well in this deal, as the Cavaliers got some added depth alongside LeBron from Boston and the Celtics added one of the best players in the league, but this was simply not the case.

Kyrie Irving’s time in Boston was a roller coaster ride to say the least. They lost in the Eastern Conference Finals his first year with the team and then after reaffirming to the fan base and management multiple times that he was going to sign a long-term extension to remain with the Celtics, Irving ended up leaving the team in free agency during the summer of 2019.

Kyrie Irving stomped on the head of the Celtics logo after the Nets beat them in what could be the final game at their arena this season pic.twitter.com/Zoa0EUs7dx

— Jomboy Media (@JomboyMedia) May 31, 2021

Prior to leaving in free agency, there had also been some unrest within the organization and in the locker room. Not really fitting in with the likes of Jayson Tatum and Gordon Hayward, nor the team’s style of play, Kyrie Irving ultimately “jumped ship” and went to a better situation in his mind by teaming up with Kevin Durant on the Brooklyn Nets.

When he is on the court, Irving is great for Brooklyn, but he has only played in 103 total games for the Nets over the course of the last three seasons and this offseason, he was at the center of drama once again even though Durant was the one who requested a trade this summer. Heading into the 2022-23 season, all seems well in Brooklyn, as Durant and Irving are committed to the Nets and contending for a championship.

As for the Cleveland Cavaliers, they really did not make out well from this trade simply because they lost their second-best player. Isaiah Thomas was never the same after undergoing hip surgery and he was dealt to the Los Angeles Lakers the same season, along with Channing Frye and a 2018 first-round pick, for Jordan Clarkson and Larry Nance Jr.

Jae Crowder was also traded the same season to the Utah Jazz in a deal that gave Cleveland Rodney Hood and Ante Zizic is no longer on Cleveland’s roster. However, the Cavaliers did use the 2018 first-round pick they got from the Celtics to draft Collin Sexton eighth overall in the 2018 NBA Draft, so that was not a bad thing to ultimately come out of this deal for them.

Overall though, this Kyrie Irving trade was a complete flop for both the Celtics and Cavaliers.