Celtics agree to add 2020 2nd round pick to complete Kyrie Irving deal

At long last, the Celtics and Cleveland Cavaliers have agreed to terms on a (new) deal that will bring Kyrie Irving to Boston, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

The pick will come via Miami, as reported by Wojnarowski and, apparently, that’s as much as Boston was willing to concede.

With the Cavaliers being unhappy with what they found during Isaiah Thomas’s physical, it’s easy to understand why new GM Koby Altman would seek further compensation.

But all reports have indicated that Boston and Danny Ainge were completely transparent when it came to the extent of Thomas’s balky hip. There should have been no surprises, so it’s no wonder that Ainge held firm on his original offer, especially since he was already surrendering what was arguably the franchise’s most valuable asset.

As Wojnarowski made clear earlier in the week, the 2018 Brooklyn pick was always the main prize for Cleveland, as it gave them a great chance at landing a blue-chip prospect in next year’s draft since the Celtics weren’t willing to part with either Jaylen Brown or Jayson Tatum.

Getting Thomas and Jae Crowder was secondary, pieces that would allow the Cavs to remain in contention in what they fear could be LeBron James’s last year in Cleveland.

The Cavs got tremendous value and then some from Boston from the get-go. The extra second round pick is superfluous and underwhelming considering how long Altman held out.