How Can Cavs, Celtics Finish Kyrie Trade, and What Happens If It Falls Through?

The biggest trade of the NBA offseason may not even happen, but that seems unlikely.

While the Kyrie Irving-Isaiah Thomas blockbuster is currently on hold due to concerns over Thomas' injured hip, ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski is reporting that the Cleveland Cavaliers may ask for additional compensation to complete the deal.

The Cavaliers have put Thomas through a physical examination and are concerned about how early he can return to the court. According to Wojnarowski, Thomas has yet to even begin running.

It was no secret to the Cavaliers that Thomas was recovering from this injury originally suffered against them in the Eastern Conference Finals in May, but his condition is apparently far worse than they expected.

Thomas has to pass his Cavs physical before 10 a.m. on Thursday or else the trade can be called off.

Both sides have a lot to lose if the deal doesn't go through. So what can the Cavaliers reasonably ask for and what will the aftermath look like should a trade of this magnitude fail?

What More Do the Cavaliers Want?

The Celtics have a treasure chest full of assets and the Cavs know it.

There's no other reason Cleveland would agree to trade their 25-year-old All-Star point guard to the only team that could even win a single playoff game against them in the East playoffs. The return of Thomas, Jae Crowder, Ante Zizic and the Brooklyn Nets' unprotected 2018 first-round pick was too bountiful to reject.

At least, that's what they thought.

Wojnarowski noted on SportsCenter that Cleveland could pursue an additional young star to complete the deal (via Joshua Schrock of NESN):

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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. 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.

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Both Tatum (2017 draft) and Brown (2016) are former No. 3 overall picks with considerable upside. With Boston giving up Thomas, Crowder and Avery Bradley (in a previous trade), it appears the goal is to use the younger Irving to bridge the gap between their current stars (Gordon Hayward, Al Horford) and Tatum and Brown.

Thomas turns 29 this season, and Irving will only be 26 in March. He's young enough to grow with Tatum and Brown and still win now with Hayward and Horford. Thomas primarily lines up with the older two and won't be in his prime when the younger pair start to hit theirs.

David Liam Kyle/Getty Images

As bad as it would be for Boston to have a disgruntled Thomas return, it would be far worse to add a young prospect to the outgoing package. If Cleveland asks for Tatum or Brown, the Celtics need to draw a line in the sand.

According to Joe Vardon of Cleveland.com, the Cavs are "still mulling whether to ask Boston for something else" and that "the Celtics were still waiting to hear what (if anything) extra the Cavs wanted for Irving."

A more realistic option for both parties would be some additional draft compensation.

Boston has its own 2018 first-round pick as well as one from the Los Angeles Lakers (protected No. 1 and 6-30). Given that Boston will likely have a top five-to-10 record in the NBA, and the Lakers could quite possibly have a bottom-five mark, the Celtics are more likely to trade their own pick. 

While asking for Tatum, Brown or the Lakers pick would be too much, a late first-rounder from the Celtics could be enough to appease both parties.

What the Cavs Do if the Trade is Voided

Losing out on the Celtics package would sting. Even if Thomas missed half the season, Cleveland would still get a great rotation piece with Crowder and a Brooklyn pick that could serve as the centerpiece for another star player trade or insurance should LeBron James leave next summer.

There can't be a better offer on the table for Irving, or the Cavaliers and new GM Koby Altman would have pounced by now. Boston's offer, headlined by the Nets' pick, is as good as it gets.

Voiding would put the team under pressure to deal Irving by Media Day on Sept. 25. Putting Irving into Big Three pictures with James and Kevin Love wouldn't be fair or a good look.

Christian Petersen/Getty Images

If this deal fails, Cleveland goes back to asking for everyone's best offer again. The Phoenix Suns with point guard Eric Bledsoe and a collection of young players would make sense, as would a run for another star floor general (Damian Lillard perhaps?)

The Cavs wouldn't get a Boston-like return, but could still come out winners with a strong package from another team, especially one in the Western Conference.

What the Celtics Do if the Trade is Voided

This gets a little trickier for Boston. 

Unlike the Cavs situation with Irving, there was no mention of Thomas being traded before this point. His rise to the NBA's third-leading scorer and carrying the Celtics to the No. 1 seed in the East this past season was one of the best storylines of the year. He represented the face of Boston's rebuild from its previous championship core of Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen.

Could both sides make up and pretend this never happened?

At this point, the relationship is probably beyond repair. Given Thomas' impending free agency and his desire for a max contract, it's become clear there's no future for the two-time All-Star in Boston.

Even if he were to play this season with the Celtics, there's still the concern over his hip. A Cavaliers team without a healthy Thomas for a significant amount of time would still likely reach the NBA Finals. A Boston team under the same scenario may not advance out of the first round. Irving puts the Celtics just a step below Cleveland, ready to take the East throne if James walks.

Charles Krupa/Associated Press

Of course, the Celtics could try to open new trade talks with another team. The New York Knicks, Los Angeles Clippers and Denver Nuggets could all use a veteran point guard of his caliber.

Those teams would need to do their medical due diligence on Thomas, especially if one deal has already been called off due to his hip. Whatever Boston could get back likely wouldn't come close to a player of Irving's ability, age and remaining contract (two years, $39 million).

The best situation for both Cleveland and Boston is to go through with the original trade but with a reasonable sweetener thrown in.

Since the Celtics are now under more pressure to consummate a deal, adding their own 2018 first-round pick and getting a franchise point guard back from their conference rival seems like the best course of action.

Greg Swartz is the Cleveland Cavaliers' lead writer for Bleacher Report. Draft pick info provided by RealGM.com.