The 7 Teams Who Benefit Most from Kyrie Irving’s Trade Request

2. Boston Celtics

Will Boston beat Cleveland in the 2018 Eastern Conference Finals? It’s highly unlikely. LeBron is still LeBron and at the very least, he’ll have Love and a few solid pieces around him. That’s enough to win the East in 2018.

Beyond that, I don’t think it’s safe to assume Cleveland will roll over anybody.

Boston is only getting better with Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, a still productive Al Horford and two clear-cut All-Stars Isaiah Thomas and Gordon Hayward.

The Celtics will go as far as Brown and Tatum take them, as the duo could push Boston from being a “Big Two and a half” to a legitimate well-rounded lineup.

Losing Avery Bradley was a big blow, but they still have Marcus Smart, Jae Crowder and Marcus Morris. It’s not as though their role players are a weakness.

If anything Boston has a deeper roster than Cleveland right now and that’s only going to be further improved with the departure of Irving and the rising prominence of Boston’s young players.

At this point, Cleveland has at least one more Eastern Conference title to claim. However, if LeBron leaves (especially for a Western Conference team), the Celtics immediately become the Eastern Conference favorites. Washington, Toronto, Miami, Milwaukee and Philadelphia will challenge, but there should be a 2-3 year window where the Celtics are the favorites. That window could be even wider if their picks acquired from the Brooklyn Nets turn into stars.

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