Winners and losers from the Kyrie Irving trade to the Celtics

BOSTON, MA - MAY 17: Isaiah Thomas #4 of the Boston Celtics handles the ball against Kyrie Irving #2 of the Cleveland Cavaliers in the first half during Game One of the 2017 NBA Eastern Conference Finals at TD Garden on May 17, 2017 in Boston, Massachusetts. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images) /

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Cavaliers, LeBron, Kyrie /

1. Winner: Kyrie Irving

Let’s put it this way: Kyrie Irving got what Kyrie Irving wanted. The disgruntled Cavalier wanted to head out and lead his own team and he got exactly that.

And he wins because he avoided a lot of potential landmines. Imagine if Irving ended up on some lottery team that had no stars and a lot of young talent.

It could be years of losing and it would look like a mistake in hindsight. Now, Irving heads to Boston, stays in the East, gets a star in Hayward and a good coach in Stevens.

Next: Updated NBA power rankings of suffering

This trade can be broken down a lot of ways, and I’m sure a lot of people will argue over who won and who lost for days. But the biggest winner in all of this is Irving, who gets out of Cleveland and can stay competitive in the Eastern Conference for a long time to come.

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