Okay don't get me even started on how bad the celtics lost this trade. I think Danny Ainge got way to greedy with his draft assets that he didn't truly value the cost of the pick itself. Lets forget who is going to be in the 2018 from picks 1 - 3. Marvin Bagley, Michael Porter Jr., and Deandre Ayton. Those 3 picks alone could have been all it took to trade for Kyrie Irving and his expiring contract but no, the celtics traded Isaiah Thomas, Jae Crowder, and that other European center. Kyrie Irving for Isaiah Thomas would have been a fair trade.
The Celtics have gone on a downward spiral since this season in my honest opinion. They traded away the number one overall pick who had a lot of similarities to Isaiah Thomas. The reason why the Celtics have been good for so long is because of Isaiah Thomas's friendly contract. They could have got the same type of player on the same type of contract in a player like Markelle Fultz but they traded him away, once again devaluing the actual stock of draft pick. Everybody knows that you build a franchise through the draft and free agency. I can't remember the last time a team actually won through trades through (rentals). Kyrie Irving wants to be a player that the franchise can build around. This just happens to be Gordan Heywords team as of now.
The Cavaliers now hold all the chips. They have enough ammunition to possibly win the championship this year. They bring in a guy like Isaiah Thomas who adds 28PPG, 3 more then Kyrie Irving. They add a 3 and D type of player in Jae Crowder. Lets not forget the 2018 Nets draft pick that could possibly be Marvin Bagley who draws comparisons to plays such as Chris Bosh and Jimmy Butler. Who knows what's in store for the Cleveland Cavaliers going forward. Do they have enough assets to get Lebron to stay? I think so.
Now what is in store for the Celtics? I believe going forward the Celtics need to hold on to their draft picks like their lives are in stake. They can't keep trading draft picks to get players of the same caliber or players they can easily sign in free agency. The 2018 Nets pick could have added a corner piece in their franchise that could have set them up post the Warriors and Cavaliers era. What they did though is have a win now attitude. The problem is that the Warriors still have Kevin Durrant and most of the championship players. The Celtics may have dropped the ball on this trade but hopefully the management can pick the pieces back up.
What this comes to show is that the Celtics were never sold on Isaiah Thomas to begin with. They saw him as a defensive liability. Even though that may be true, you don't get much better in a player like Kyrie either. Kyrie has his defensive flaws as well.