The Cavaliers will seek further compensation from the Celtics in their recent trade of four-time All-Star Kyrie Irving after a medical exam of the injured Isaiah Thomas, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported on Saturday.
The Celtics sent Thomas, Jae Crowder, Ante Zizic and an unprotected 2018 first-round pick via Brooklyn to the Cavaliers in exchange for Irving. But with Thomas’ physical raising concerns about the timeline for his return from a lingering hip injury re-aggravated during the playoffs, league sources told Wojnarowski that the Cavaliers could veto the trade without additional compensation.
The deadline for all players involved in the trade to pass physicals is on Thursday, but it can be extended with mutual agreement by both teams, according to Wojnarowski. Irving, whose trade request led to the blockbuster deal, had been scheduled to take his physical for the Celtics on Saturday in Boston.
Celtics GM Danny Ainge admitted in a conference call with reporters after the trade was announced that Thomas’ injury played a role in his inclusion. The Celtics have an abundance of draft picks they could include to help finalize the deal, including three possible protected first-round picks via the Lakers (2018), the Clippers (2019) and the Grizzlies (2019).
