Report: Dan Gilbert Was 'Calling The Shots' In Kyrie Irving Trade With Celtics
BOSTON (CBS) -- At long last, the Celtics and Cavs trade is finally complete. The C's threw in Miami's 2020 second-round pick to finalize the deal bringing Kyrie Irving to Boston, and the nation is left wondering why the deal was held up for so long over such a small piece.
It turns out that, to the surprise of few, it was Cavs owner Dan Gilbert pulling the strings in Cleveland all along.
As reported by The Ringer's Kevin O'Connor late Wednesday night after the trade was completed, Gilbert was both "calling the shots" and is now "dealing with the fallout" in the Celtics-Cavs trade. The deal hit a snag after it was agreed upon due to apparent concerns over Isaiah Thomas' injured hip. Gilbert was the one reportedly spearheading the "organizational chaos" going on behind the scenes in Cleveland over the issues with the trade.
And apparently, Gilbert isn't even self-aware.
"A state of organizational chaos is Gilbert's M.O.," an unnamed exec told The Ringer. "Gilbert thinks he's the protagonist in the story of the Cavaliers, when, in reality, he's the antagonist."
The idea that Gilbert was the cause of the chaos will not be surprising to many who have followed the Cavs. He infamously wrote a bizarre open letter denouncing LeBron James after the superstar left Cleveland to join the Miami Heat back in 2010.