NBA Trade Rumor: Cavaliers asking for Jaylen Brown or Jayson Tatum

Nothing ever seems to be easy with the Cleveland Cavaliers. After examining Isaiah Thomas, the team appears to have enough concern over his ability to recover from his injury that they feel the need to ask for additional assets. While many assumed that they would ask for an additional pick to make the deal, it seems that they are aiming for much more.

On Sunday, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported that the Cavs are now inquiring about acquiring one of Jaylen Brown or Jayson Tatum.

Transcribed by NESN:

“Now, Cleveland is going to try to inquire about a couple of the Celtics’ young players, Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, who they tried to get in the original trade, that is very unlikely,” Wojnarowski said. “But Boston still has a war chest of future first-round picks of their own, and some picks they control from other teams, and Cleveland is going to try to get one more of those to finalize this deal.”

I’m not sure if this is the Cavs asking for too much initially while targeting another asset, or if the team really is going to hold out for a top tier asset with Thomas’ status unclear.

If the Cavs were actually able to acquire one of those two, I would assume the Cavs would need to send more back than just Kyrie Irving. With how far along these teams are in discussions, I think it’s unlikely that this deal gets reversed entirely. But it’s clear that the Cavs are not willing to go through with the deal as it was originally constructed as a result of Thomas’ physical.