NBA Trade News 2017: Cavs Want Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown in Exchange for Kyrie Irving After Isaiah Thomas' Physical Evaluation?
After the Cavaliers received the results of Isaiah Thomas' physical evaluation, the team is said to be wanting more items on the deal with the Celtics including Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.
Tatum and Brown are undeniably some of the most promising young players on the Boston bench. Brown was the Celtics' 2016 overall no. 1 pick while Tatum was drafted as the third overall pick this year.
Since the report of Kyrie Irving's trade request made headlines, most of the National Basketball Association teams have been trying their luck to entice the Cavaliers with a possible trade that could land them one of the best guards in the league.
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Recently, Boston was near to getting that chance. They offered sending Thomas, Jae Crowder, Ante Zizic and the Brooklyn Nets' draft pick all in exchange for Irving. It was so close to becoming a reality until Thomas' physical evaluation last week.
Now, reports have it that Cleveland is demanding more. The specifics of Thomas' injury and recovery have not been disclosed but it appears the Cavaliers think the situation is worth requesting for more important Boston players to be included, such as Tatum and Brown.
In fact, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski in an episode of SportsCenter (via NESN), the Cavaliers had always had the interest in getting Tatum and Brown, even in the original trade talks with Boston, which is "very unlikely" to happen.
On the other hand, the Boston front office is not likely going to take the bait. Chris Mannix of Yahoo Sports reported that Boston will "strongly resist" any additional demands from the other side of the table and claims they were "completely transparent with Cleveland on [Thomas'] hip injury."
For their part, according to Bleacher Report, one of Wojnarowski's league sources said the Cavs were "no longer seeking one of the Celtics' top young players or significant draft picks."
Meanwhile, in earlier reports, Boston Celtics general manager Danny Ainge admitted that Thomas might not be able to start the season due to his hip injury. In a tweet from Wojnarowski, he added Boston thinks "rest + rehab would return Thomas' hip to a full recovery," however, the Cavaliers were always "anxious to give him physical."
But on Tuesday, Thomas told Wojnarowski that he was not "damaged." He added: "I'll be back, and I'll be the same player."
