Celtics agreed to send an additional 2020 second-round pick (via the Heat) to the Cavaliers Wednesday night to finalize a trade to acquire Irving just hours prior to Thursday’s 10 a.m. ET deadline.
The Celtics will send the additional second-round pick to compensate for Isaiah Thomas’ lingering hip injury. Thomas injured his hip in the Celtics’ Eastern Conference Finals loss to the Cavaliers last season.
The two teams originally agreed to a trade on Aug. 22, with the Celtics agreeing to send Thomas, Jae Crowder, Ante Zizic and the Nets’ unprotected 2018 first-round pick for Irving.
However, the Cavs then requested an additional first-round pick after concerns arose regarding Thomas’ expected return to the court.
The Celtics ultimately refused to include anything more than a future second-rounder, and the Cavs decided to move forward with the deal rather than the risk of it falling apart and having to accept a lesser offer from another team.
Thomas is entering the final year of his contract and will hit free agency along with LeBron James in 2018. Irving still has two more years left on his deal.
