Cavaliers trade Kyrie Irving to Celtics

Lani Tons/Iowa State Daily
Iowa State redshirt senior forward Abdel Nader blocks Little Rock junior guard Marcus Johnson Jr. at the NCAA Tournament on March 19. Iowa State played Little Rock for the first time in series history and won 78-61. Little Rock earned its second NCAA Tournament win in program history with an 85-83 victory over Purdue in double overtime. Iowa State will advance to the Sweet 16 on March 25.

Brian Mozey
August 22, 2017

The Cleveland Cavaliers agreed to trade point guard Kyrie Irving to the Boston Celtics in return for point guard Isaiah Thomas, forward Jae Crowder, center Ante Zizic and Brooklyn’s 2018 unprotected first round pick, according to Adrian Wojnarowski.

Irving has been seeking a trade from the Cavaliers since July after a meeting with owner Dan Gilbert. He wanted to leave LeBron James and become the leader of an NBA team. 

Thomas, Crowder and Zizic will be going to a team with James, forward Kevin Love, and center Tristan Thompson. 

Irving will head to a Boston team with forward Gordon Hayward, guard Jaylen Brown, forward Marcus Morris, and center Al Horford. Another player on the Celtics current roster is former Iowa State basketball player, Abdel Nader. 

Nader was selected in the second round as the 58th overall pick in the 2016 NBA draft. During the first season, Nader played in the G-League and won the Rookie of the Year in the G-League.

Due to the his success last season, the Celtics signed Nader to a four-year, $6 million contract this past summer.