Kyrie Irving thanks Cavaliers ownership in heartfelt ‘Thank You Cleveland’ message

This is due to the addition of elite point guard Isaiah Thomas, who had an incredible season previous year with career highs in points, blocks, and #Field Goal Percentage. The Cavaliers put the brief hault on the trade because they were unaware of the severity of Thomas’ injury.

The Celtics and Cavaliers completed the trade – first announced on Tuesday last week – to send point guard Isaiah Thomas to Cleveland in exchange for point guard Kyrie Irving on Wednesday, within hours of yesterday’s 10am deadline (10pm Wednesday, Singapore).

Looking relaxed and often playfully interacting with both Hayward and the Boston brass seated beside him, Irving looked very much like he was embracing being the new face of the franchise. They have LeBron James and Kevin Love still, so, somewhere near the top of the East remains their domain, but Thomas’ health will dictate whether they remain the biggest threat to the Warriors.

Boston will introduce Hayward and Irving at a press conference Friday at 11 a.m.at the TD Garden.

Thomas, the Celtics point guard, was part of the sensational trade with the Cavaliers that saw Kyrie Irving heading to Boston.

The Akron Beacon Journal reports Irving went on to talk about a “brotherhood,” without ever mentioning by name the man his time in Cleveland is most closely associated with. He averaged 21.6 points per game in his six-year career with the Cavaliers, but made the playoffs in just those three years, which began when LeBron James returned to the Cavs. “I picked that out in about two minutes that we were out in the game by the way they were running their plays”.

The Celtics have since added a second-round pick to the mix as compensation for Thomas’ lingering hip injury.

“I am not damaged”, the 28-year-old said.

Irving was mum regarding the trade, which went public on August 22, until he posted on Instagram. “I don’t know what [the organization] is doing”, he said.

Irving said, “the decision to leave Cleveland had nothing to do with basketball” and said that it’s not about one player leading the team but about putting the group above everything else.

Word. Well, even as a Celtics fan I hope IT gets back to his healthy best, just not against the C’s. Meanwhile, Irving is scheduled to take his physical exam with the Celtics on Saturday. They not only get stronger for next season but also acquire a high-value first round draft pick in the 2018 NBA Draft.