While the NBA world hems and haws over the Kyrie Irving-Isaiah Thomas trade fiasco, Dick Vitale apparently knows something we don’t.
The Boston Celtics reportedly still are at a stalemate with the Cavaliers over their trade for Irving due to Cleveland’s concerns about Thomas’ injured hip. But legendary college basketball analyst “Dickie V” came out of nowhere Wednesday to report the deal is, in fact, going down.
Vitale’s expertise lies in college basketball, not the NBA, so this report is a bit surprising. That said, the charismatic ESPN analyst is a former NBA head coach with nearly 40 years of experience coaching and covering basketball, so we’d imagine he’s pretty well-connected in NBA circles.
If Vitale’s report comes true, that’d be awesome (baby) for the Celtics, who reportedly view Irving not only as a franchise cornerstone player but also as a recruiting tool to draw other NBA stars to Boston. Other teams, specifically the Milwaukee Bucks, also reportedly have made offers to the Cavs for Irving should their deal with the C’s fall through, so there’s extra incentive for Boston to get a deal done, whether that includes sending Cleveland extra compensation or not.
Thumbnail photo via Robert Deutsch/USA TODAY Sports Images
