The Boston Celtics were led to victory in the 2024 NBA Finals by Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. However, there was a point in time when it seemed like this duo would be working alongside star point guard Kyrie Irving in an effort to lead Boston to a title.
In 2017, Irving requested a trade from the Cleveland Cavaliers, which resulted in the Celtics swinging a blockbuster deal to bring him to town. With other guys like Gordon Hayward and Al Horford on the team, in addition to young prospects like Tatum and Brown, it seemed like the C’s were set for years to come.
For the Cavs, a trade involving Irving seemed inevitable, as he wanted to lead his own team, rather than live in LeBron James’ shadow. However, nobody expected to see him land with Boston, which was Cleveland’s top competitor at the time. According to Tyronn Lue, who was the Cavaliers’ head coach when this trade went down, James was “crushed.”
“‘Bron was doing an autograph signing,” Lue said on “Club Shay Shay.” “I come sit next to ‘Bron, we sitting there, hand me the phone, SportsCenter, Kyrie Irving had just been traded to the Boston Celtics. ‘Bron dropped the market and just lays back in his chair for about 10 minutes, doesn’t say a word, just pissed off. ‘Bron was crushed.”
It’s not necessarily a surprise to see that James took this trade so hard. He and Irving had won a title together with the Cavs, and making matters even worse, the Celtics were viewed as their top competition in the Eastern Conference.
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Of course, Irving’s tenure with the C’s ended up lasting only two seasons, as he went back on his word, ditching the team for the Brooklyn Nets in free agency after previously guaranteeing fans he would re-sign with the team after the 2018-19 season.
Since leaving Boston, Irving has struggled to find a consistent fit, although he did help lead the Dallas Mavericks to the 2024 NBA Finals. The Celtics ended up prevailing, though, so while the team’s saga with Irving certainly hurt, it all led to Banner No. 18 being raised.