The Cleveland Cavaliers’ trade of Kyrie Irving may have resolved one problem, but it brought on at least another major one.
The Cavs acquired Isaiah Thomas from Boston in the trade even though Thomas is recovering from a hip injury, leading to uncertainty surrounding his status. The questions about Thomas’ hip injury apparently have led to LeBron James and Tyronn Lue cooling on the trade.
The Ringer’s Kevin O’Connor reported Thursday about James and Lue’s views of the trade.
From O’Connor’s report:
One league source with an understanding of Cleveland’s situation told me that as news spread throughout the organization that Thomas could miss time deep into the upcoming season, James and Lue cooled on the deal. According to the same source, both the Cavs’ franchise player and their head coach were apparently told by upper management that Thomas and Crowder were being brought in to help the team compete with the Warriors now.
Given the questions about Thomas’ hip and when he might be able to return (one says there’s even a slight chance https://larrybrownsports.com/basketball/slight-chance-isaiah-thomas-miss-most-of-season/391360he could miss most of the year), it’s understandable why Lue and James would be worried about the trade.
James is getting older and may leave Cleveland after the season. He wants to compete for NBA titles now; he’s not worried about the Cavs’ future beyond him. However, the Cavs seem to be preparing more for a future without James rather than trying to build their team for a run at the Warriors now, which seems like flawed thinking considering they are lucky enough to have the best player in the league on their team.
O’Connor also reports that the Thomas injury was priced into the deal, which is why both Crowder and the Brooklyn pick were included in the deal. The pick is what Cleveland is really said to have prized, which is another indication about their priorities.
Sure, the Cavs seem to be preparing for the future without James, but in the meantime it seems they are failing to put the best team around him next season, hindering their chances at knocking off the Warriors.
