Cavs, Celtics aim to put pieces together following trade

As the dust begins to settle from Tuesday's blockbuster trade that sent Kyrie Irving to the Boston Celtics and Isaiah Thomas, Jae Crowder, Ante Zizic and the Brooklyn Nets' 2018 first-round pick to Cleveland, the larger picture for both teams starts to come into focus.

The breakup of the partnership of Irving and LeBron James seemed inevitable after the former said he wanted to be traded. James offered nothing but respect to Irving in his Twitter message in response to the trade:

"That's the only way to be to the kid! Special talent/guy! Nothing but respect and what a ride it was our 3 years together."

James will now try to blend his skills with Thomas, a point guard who likes to have the ball in his hands.

The question surrounding Thomas concerns his hip. Thomas' season ended following Game 2 of the conference finals because of a torn labrum and aggravation of a previous injury.

The Cleveland Plain Dealer reported that Celtics general manager Danny Ainge speculated on a conference call on Tuesday that Thomas might not be ready for the start of the regular season.

The Cavaliers have Derrick Rose to be the point guard if Thomas is unable to play, but what will Rose's role be when Thomas returns?

The bigger questions rest with the Celtics.

Perhaps the most significant factor of the entire ordeal is that Boston now has just four players left from a team that surpassed expectations to finish first in the Eastern Conference.

Al Horford, Jaylen Brown, Marcus Smart and Terry Rozier return from the squad that lost to Cleveland in the Eastern Conference finals, and coach Brad Stevens will try to integrate Irving, Gordon Hayward and rookie Jayson Tatum with them.

Tatum, the No. 3 pick in this year's draft, is no small player in the transaction.

According to multiple reports, the Irving-Thomas deal was able to go forward only when the Cavaliers gave up their attempt to have Tatum included in the deal.

Tatum seemed pleased he was staying in Boston.

"I was watching (the trade news) on TV and I saw breaking news come across, so it was just as much of a shock to me as all the other fans," Tatum said, according to ESPN.com. "I was just as surprised as everyone else (about the trade). I saw my name come up, and I didn't know if I was going to get traded. ... It's all new to me. I haven't played an NBA game yet; I just came from college. I don't know how to handle all the trade talks. I was just like, 'Wow,' saw my name come up."

After he was told that he would not be moved, Tatum said he received a text from Irving saying how excited he was to be teaming up with him. A few weeks ago, Tatum and Irving, who have the same agent, went to the Bahamas for a vacation.

"I'm pretty sure it will be a lot of fun," Tatum said of playing with Irving. "He's a tremendous player. A superstar in this league."

Before trading Irving to Boston, the Cavaliers offered Irving to the Golden State Warriors for guard Klay Thompson, according to multiple reports.

The Warriors turned them down. But the Celtics didn't, and the Cavaliers' acquisition of Crowder, a solid wing player, may turn out to be important as well. That does not even consider the draft pick Cleveland obtained, which could turn out to be the No. 1 overall choice.

Making this trade may give James some faith in new Cleveland general manager Koby Altman.

Everything the Cavaliers do this season will be viewed in terms of how it might affect James' decision to stay or leave via free agency next summer.

"It's great if they win, terrible if they lose," a source close to James, referring to the Irving trade, told the Cleveland Plain Dealer.

If the Cavaliers reach the finals again and are competitive once they get there, James may consider staying.

Hornets sign G Stone

The Charlotte Hornets signed guard Julyan Stone on Wednesday after being released from his contract with an Italian team.

The 6-foot-6, 200-pound Stone appeared in 47 career NBA games (two starts) over three seasons with the Denver Nuggets (2011-13) and Toronto Raptors (2013-14), averaging 1.3 points and 1.1 assists in 7.0 minutes per contest.

Stone, 28, joins the Hornets after a stint with Reyer Venezia Mestre of the Lega Basket Serie A in Italy, appearing in 26 games and helping the team to a 2017 Serie A Championship. Prior to his time with Reyer Venezia Mestre, Stone played with the Fort Wayne Mad Ants of the NBA G League last season, seeing action in 33 games (31 starts) and averaging 7.9 points, 8.6 assists, 6.0 rebounds, 1.3 steals and 34.7 minutes.

Stone also played for Royal Hali Gazientep (2015-16) of the Turkish Basketball Super League, a first stretch with Reyer Venezia Mestre (2014-15) and the G League's Iowa Energy (2013) and Idaho Stampede (2012).

Stone was a four-year collegiate player at the University of Texas-El Paso (2007-11).

Cavs trade G Irving to Celtics for G Thomas, first-round pick

The Cleveland Cavaliers agreed to trade All-Star point guard Kyrie Irving to the Boston Celtics in exchange for a package led by fellow All-Star point guard Isaiah Thomas on Tuesday.

The teams confirmed the Celtics also sent forward Jae Crowder, center Ante Zizic and the rights to the Brooklyn Nets' 2018 first round pick to the Cavaliers.

"Kyrie is one of the best scorers in the NBA," Celtics president Danny Ainge said in a prepared statement. "He has proven that on the biggest stage, the NBA Finals, the last three years. He's been an NBA Champion, an Olympic Gold Medalist, and a four-time All-Star. For all he's accomplished, we think his best years are ahead of him."

Cavaliers general manager Koby Altman said in a statement, "This trade needed to include both players and assets that we felt strongly could help us continue to compete for championships, and we believe it does. We look forward to Isaiah, Jae and Ante joining us and also felt that the unprotected first-round pick in the deal was very important for us and our future as well."

Irving, who made headlines earlier in the summer when it leaked that he had requested a trade, moves on from a Cavaliers squad that reached the NBA Finals in each of the past three seasons and won a championship in 2016.

"On behalf of the entire franchise, I want to thank Kyrie Irving for the six impressive years he spent in Cleveland wearing the Cavaliers uniform," Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert said in a statement. "From the moment we won the 2011 NBA lottery that put us in position to draft Kyrie to the 'The Shot' that sealed our first NBA championship and all of the electrifying play that made him a joy to watch, 'excitement' was always in the air when it came to Kyrie Irving. We wish him and his family well as he moves on to the next phase of his NBA career."

Irving joins a Celtics squad that finished first in the Eastern Conference during the regular season last season but was bounced by the Cavaliers in five games the Eastern Conference finals. Thomas missed the last three games of the series with a hip injury, and he might not be ready for the start of training camp.

"Isaiah and Jae have been a huge part of our success," Celtics co-owner Wyc Grousbeck said in a statement. "Isaiah's playoff performance under very difficult circumstances will live on in history, and we wish them all the best."

Irving, 25, averaged a career-high 25.2 points on 47.3 percent shooting and 5.8 assists last season. He has three years and $60 million remaining on his contract.

Thomas, a 28-year-old who finished third in the NBA with an average of 28.9 points in 2016-17, will be a free agent after the 2017-18 campaign.

Irving was the first overall pick in the 2011 draft while Thomas was the last pick, 60th, in the same draft.

"Isaiah embodied what it meant to be a Celtic," Ainge said. "He captured fans' hearts not only with his spirit, but his personality. Jae's toughness was contagious for our team. He improved his skills each year, but it's his energy and fight that will be remembered. We wish them and their families the very best."

The Celtics and Cavaliers open the season in Cleveland on Oct. 17.