The Boston Celtics and Cleveland Cavaliers shocked the NBA community on Tuesday evening, agreeing to a blockbuster trade that included two of the league’s top point guards.Boston sent Isaiah Thomas, Jae Crowder, Ante Zizic and the 2018 first-round pick of the Brooklyn Nets to Cleveland in exchange for Kyrie Irving. After weeks of wondering if he’d be traded and where he might end up following his shocking request, the Cavaliers worked with their rivals to make a deal happen.Since Irving spent the first six years of his career with the Cavaliers, the organization offered their thanks for his services.“This trade needed to include both players and assets that we felt strongly could help us continue to compete for championships and we believe it does,” said new Cavs general manager Koby Altman. “We look forward to Isaiah, Jae and Ante joining us and also felt that the unprotected first round pick in the deal was very important for us and our future as well.”“On behalf of the entire franchise, I want to thank Kyrie Irving for the six impressive years he spent in Cleveland wearing the Cavaliers uniform,” said Cavaliers chairman Dan Gilbert. “From the moment we won the 2011 NBA lottery that put us in position to draft Kyrie to the ‘The Shot’ that sealed our first NBA championship and all of the electrifying play that made him a joy to watch, 'excitement' was always in the air when it came to Kyrie Irving. We wish him and his family well as he moves on to the next phase of his NBA career.”LeBron also got in on thanking Irving for the good times. Replying to a fan who posted a video of Irving’s jersey with a thank you message attached, James tweeted the following:

Therefore, any rift between the two appears to be over (at least from LeBron's end), as both sides will now move on. 

Although losing Irving will certainly sting and change the dynamic of the Cavaliers roster, Thomas should be a suitable replacement. He averaged a career-high 28.9 points along with 5.9 assists over 76 regular-season games before posting 23.3 points and 6.7 per contest during Boston’s playoff run last season.

There are a few concerns with him, however. First, he’s recovering from a hip injury that might sideline him at the beginning of the season and could possibly linger throughout the year. Secondly, since he’s 5’9”, he has been viewed as a major liability defensively, where teams figured out how to exploit him. And finally, he’s in a contract year and has made it very clear that he will seek a max deal next summer, thus creating the possibility that he spends just one year in Cleveland.

Crowder proved himself as one of the best defensive wings in the NBA over the past few seasons and averaged 13.9 points along with 5.8 rebounds over 72 regular-season games and 13.6 points and 6.4 boards in the playoffs last season. He will likely come off the bench in Cleveland, but could become a valuable sixth man due to his versatility.

The 20-year-old center Zizic does not have any NBA experience yet. Drafted last year, he spent the 2016-2017 season playing for Darussafaka Dogus in the Euroleague where he averaged 9.0 points and 6.7 rebounds in 21.9 minutes per game. In recent Summer League play, however, he showed some real skill and promise in the post, thus making him an attractive piece of the deal for the Cavaliers.

Since Zizic and the 2018 Nets pick were included, it also sets up the organization for the future with the real threat of LeBron, Derrick Rose and now Thomas potentially leaving next summer. The Brooklyn pick will likely be another high selection and Zizic could develop into a star, thus slightly minimizing the impact of possibly losing a trio of star players.