Dave McMenamin, ESPN Staff Writer 7y

Cavs set to introduce Thomas, Crowder, Zizic on Thursday

CLEVELAND -- A whopping 16 days after originally agreeing to terms on a trade that sent Kyrie Irving to the Boston Celtics, the Cleveland Cavaliers will finally introduce Isaiah Thomas, Jae Crowder and Ante Zizic at a news conference Thursday.

It will begin at 11 a.m. ET, the team announced.

The Cavs also received the Brooklyn Nets' 2018 unprotected first-round pick and the Miami Heat's 2020 second-round pick in the deal. The Cavs consider the Nets' pick to be the crown jewel of the package they received, multiple sources told ESPN.

The deal was held up last week when Cleveland asked Boston for additional compensation after Thomas reported for his physical and the Cavs had concerns about the All-Star point guard's health. Thomas has been battling a hip injury since March, according to the Celtics, when he fell to the floor in a game against the Minnesota Timberwolves.

The torn labrum in his right hip eventually led to him missing the final three games of the Eastern Conference finals against Cleveland, ending his season prematurely.

Boston added the Miami pick to finish the trade. The Cavs have not provided a timeline as to when they expect Thomas back on the court and ready to play.

Thomas shared footage of an upcoming installment of a documentary about his life, "Book of Isaiah," to his Instagram account on Tuesday. The snippet shows Thomas making a phone call to share the news shortly after Celtics president Danny Ainge informed him he would be traded.

In the caption, Thomas quoted a rap song by Nipsey Hussle: "They say every man is defined by his reaction to any given situation. Well who would you want to define you? Someone else or yourself? Whatever you do, give your heart to it and stay strong ... THE MARATHON CONTINUES!!!"

The Cavs announced that general manager Koby Altman and coach Tyronn Lue will also be in attendance at the news conference.

Thomas will wear No. 3, according to the Cavs' website. He wore No. 4 in Boston, but Iman Shumpert currently wears No. 4 for Cleveland. Crowder will stick with the No. 99 he wore for the Celtics.

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