Gilbert: "We killed him" with Kyrie Irving's business

Isaiah Thomas, Ante Zizic and Jae Crowder, who traded Kyrie Irving against Boston for a future first-round pick, were a real win for the Cavaliers.

That's what the owner of Cleveland, Dan Gilbert, feels, in any case, a feeling expressed by The Cleveland Plain Dealer Wednesday. Quoting Irving's desire to be exchanged – and his agent hinting at his need to be operated on knee-he was not being treated – Gilbert called the escape of Cavs from the tricky situation that presented itself as a victory for the franchisee.

"We could have ended up with nothing. Look back after all the movements [general manager] Koby [Altman] done, we killed him in this trade, "said Gilbert after stating that he thought that Irving, an unrestricted free agent this summer, would leave Boston.

Irving earned an average of 24.1 points, 6.1 assists and 4.4 rebounds en route to two star matches over his two years with the Celtics. However, he missed the 2018 series due to an injury, before Boston fell 4-1 in the second round against Milwaukee in 2019.

Cleveland, meanwhile, used the choice of Nets he acquired in the trade to recruit Collin Sexton, who won the honors of the second rookie team in 2018-19. Zizic has shown promise as a Cavs relief center this season, while Crowder and Thomas were traded again just months after their acquisition by Cleveland.