Isaiah Thomas Only a Ploy in Trade with Cavs

We’ve been bamboozled (to quote Burgermeister Meisterburger). Yes, the nerve-racking Celtics-Cavaliers trade is finally done! You can now exhale. But when we dig through the convoluted pile of permutations and appraisals of this deal, doesn’t it all seem highly questionable? Come on, this thing was announced a week before it was completed, a bonafide Woj-bomb. Why the delay? I’ll tell you. There is one person who is responsible for all this controversy, albeit through inadvertence. That man would be none other than “the little guy” Isaiah Thomas.

That’s right, the undisputed fan-favorite and beloved underdog: Isaiah Thomas. Bless his heart; we all know that he’s done a great deal of good for the Celtics. Surely, we’re grateful for the fearless pony-up player he has been for us.

Since last Wednesday, the Celtics and the Cavaliers have been in a gridlocked game of tug-of-war. Thomas has undoubtedly played the threadbare rope, in the middle of all this. Through no fault of his own, he was misrepresented as the centerpiece of the C’s offer for Kyrie Irving. Maybe cockeyed “homer” fans accept this fallacy to be true. But make no mistake, both organizations knew Thomas’ true value the entire time. He is nothing more than a damaged fringe-superstar whose purpose is to be parlayed into draft picks.

Trade For Irving Now Complete, Celtics And Cavs Can Move On

In the least shocking news of the year, the trade between the Boston Celtics and the Cleveland Cavaliers is now complete.

After Cleveland extorted the Celtics for extra compensation in the deal the Celtics conceded and sent the Cavs its 2020 second round pick it acquired via the Miami Heat.

Boston will send its 2020 second-round pick via Miami to Cavaliers to complete the trade, league sources said. Boston would budge no more.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) August 31, 2017

Now that the deal is complete the official structure of the trade is as follows.

Celtics Recieve:

• Kyrie Irving

Cavs Recieve

• Isaiah Thomas
• Jae Crowder
• Ante Zizic
• 2018 Brooklyn Nets 1st round pick
• 2020 Miami Heat 2nd round pick

Cleveland received extra compensation because they believed that the Boston Celtics were not fully transparent about the health of Isaiah Thomas throughout the process.

Even if that is true, the health of Thomas’s hip has been highly publicized and occurred during a series in which Cleveland was playing in.

Boston, on the other hand, believes they were completely straight forward with Cleveland and that the Thomas status was widely known by everyone in the league. But with the Celtics bent over on the barrel, the Cavs were in the unique position to extort Danny Ainge and company for extra compensation.

It is, of course, worth noting that Thomas isn’t expected to be ready to play day 1. Even he has acknowledged that.

“There’s never been an indication that I wouldn’t be back, and there’s never been an indication that this is something messing up my career,” Thomas told ESPN on Tuesday. “Maybe I am not going to be back as soon this season as everyone wants me to be, but I’m going to be back, and I’m going to be the same player again. No doctor has told me anything different than that.”

With the deal now complete, Boston will look to fill the roster spot that has been created by the trade. Candidates for that include Tony Allen and Andrew Bogut.

Cavs Having Second Thought’s On Thomas

Isaiah Thomas a hip issue, that is no secret. But what happened late Friday night could jeopardize the entire trade.

These series of Tweets is what sparked a potential nullification of the trade.

Sources: After Isaiah Thomas underwent physical today, Cavs still evaluating injured hip and weighing options w/ completion of Irving deal.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) August 26, 2017

Thomas traveled to Cleveland, took exam and flew back out of town, sources said. All players must pass physical, or a deal can be voided.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) August 26, 2017

As one source involved in the process involving Thomas' medical clearance told ESPN late Friday night, "It's a very sensitive situation."

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) August 26, 2017

Thomas’s hip injury is nothing new. Danny Ainge was already paying a premium for Irving. Even without Thomas there is no better trade out there that has the same potential value of the Brooklyn pick.

Everyone knew of the Thomas hip, knew it could be a concern and a risk. Cleveland is either having second thoughts on moving Kyrie Irving, or they are trying to force Ainge and company to hand over more assets.

The most Ainge should offer up is a late round pick, anything more you should walk way and take back the Nets pick, Thomas, Crowder, and Zizic.