The trade is now part of NBA lore, one we will likely debate for years, maybe even decades, to come: in August 2017, the two best teams in the Eastern Conference swapped star guards. Boston sent Isaiah Thomas (along with Jae Crowder, Ante Zizic, and the Nets' 2018 first-round pick) to Cleveland. In return, the Cavs sent over the heralded young floor general Kyrie Irving.
The Celtics were the clear winners of the deal. Irving has blossomed in his new role as Boston's alpha, while Thomas and Crowder did not live up to expectations in Cleveland. The Cavs rallied, however, and flipped Thomas and Crowder to acquire valuable assets at the trade deadline, so the trade wasn't a total wash for the Cavs.
Before Sunday night's Oscars, actor Lil Rel Howery, who had a role in Get Out and stars in the new Uncle Drew movie alongside Irving, shared a story about Irving's response when the trade went through.
"The dopest moment was when the trade actually went through, he was so happy, man," Lil Rel said on the red carpet. "We was in the middle of a scene. We was shooting a scene, his homeboy comes in and whispers in his ear and he just runs out the—we filming—he just runs out, we was in the club shooting a scene, runs out. So happy. He comes back and everybody's applauding. And it was a dancing scene, so when you see it and he's really getting it, that was real life. He was really happy."
Actor Lil Rel Howery describes the moment Kyrie found out he got traded while on set for 'Uncle Drew': "He was so happy, man." pic.twitter.com/pgxr6eR8g3
The Uncle Drew film debuts June 29. Check out a trailer, which briefly shows Irving dancing in the club, below.
