Sure, a lot of people tossed around potential trade packages involving Kyrie Irving. Some even suggested the Celtics could acquire the All-Star point guard from the Cavaliers, as they did Tuesday in a blockbuster trade in which Boston sent Isaiah Thomas, Jae Crowder, Ante Zizic and the Brooklyn Nets’ unprotected first-round draft pick in 2018 to Cleveland.
But few had the media platform that Jason McIntyre had earlier this summer when he appeared on FS1’s “The Herd with Colin Cowherd” and basically called the exact trade the Celtics and Cavs ultimately completed.
The only difference between the hypothetical trade McIntyre floated last month and the one Boston and Cleveland eventually settled on was that he included Guerschon Yabusele on the Celtics’ side rather than Zizic. Both players were drafted in the first round of the 2016 NBA Draft, with Yabusele going 16th overall and Zizic going 23rd.
Now, we won’t sit here and pump McIntyre’s tires too much because, like we said, there were plenty of others who wondered whether Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge could pull off a trade for Irving with a packaged centered around Thomas and the Brooklyn pick.
But hey, we have to give credit where it’s due. And McIntyre nailed it.
Thumbnail photo via Ken Blaze/USA TODAY Sports Images
