5 reasons a Kyrie Irving-Isaiah Thomas trade doesn’t make sense
3. Boston potentially loses Avery Bradley and Jae Crowder in one offseason
In the same offseason, Boston could potentially lose out on its two best defenders. Avery Bradley was shipped to Detroit earlier this summer in a salary-cap clearing move. It allowed for Gordon Hayward to sign with the Boston Celtics for the maximum possible salary. But at the same time, the Celtics were giving up a lot on the defensive end, as Bradley just barely missed making an All-NBA Defensive team.
Now, if Jae Crowder were to head to the Cavaliers, the Celtics would be giving up their two best defenders in this offseason.
Defense and a ball-movement-based offense was the key for the Celtics thus far, but it looks to be shifting if they do in fact add Irving via trade.
Irving isn’t a plus-defender either, so on the whole, Boston would be getting significantly worse on the defensive end, another reason why the trade between Boston and Cleveland is head-scratching.