It's almost been a year since Kyrie Irving was traded by the Cleveland Cavaliers to the Boston Celtics and the Eastern Conference has not been the same since.
Irving was sent to the Celtics by the Cavs in exchange for Isaiah Thomas, Jae Crowder, Ante Zizic, the rights to the Brooklyn Nets' 2018 first-round draft pick, and a 2020 second-round draft pick via the Miami Heat.
When news broke that the point guard had been traded to Boston, it shook the NBA world, as nobody expected Cleveland to trade him away to an Eastern Conference rival, but that's exactly what they did.
During the time of the trade, Nate Robinson was with Irving as they were filming the movie 'Uncle Drew'. He explained to NBC Sports how ecstatic he was with the trade.
He said, via Clutch Sports: “[Irving] was screaming like, ‘Yeah, it’s official! Let’s get it going!' He was really hyped and excited to get everything rolling.”
When asked if he gave Irving any advice about playing for the Celtics, Robinson, who himself spent a year there, told him to just enjoy the fans as they're going to love him forever.
“I just told him, ‘Enjoy the fans, man. They’re gonna love you forever,'” Robinson said, while also adding that he hopes the point guard re-signs with the team, but he knows how the business works.
How much longer the Celtics fans will love Irving for though however remains to be seen, as the point guard has a player option in his contract at the end of the 2018-19 season, meaning he could be a free agent next summer.
Recent reports have stated that the New York Knicks and the Brooklyn Nets would both be interested in acquiring Irving should he become a free agent next summer.
The point guard grew up in West Orange, New Jersey, so playing for either team would be a bit of a homecoming for him.
The Knicks as well was one of the teams Irving was interested in joining last year when he handed in his trade request to the Cavaliers. Boston, however, will be hoping they can do enough in the next year to convince him to stay.
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