It was the trade no one saw coming, so the internet exploded.

On Tuesday night, the Cleveland Cavaliers and Boston Celtics spoke on a conference call to discuss trading Cavaliers point guard Kyrie Irving.

The teams came away with the agreement to trade Irving for the Celtics’ point guard Isaiah Thomas, small forward Jae Crowder, center Ante Žižić and the Brooklyn Nets 2018 first-round NBA Draft pick.

Irving requested a trade from Cleveland in July after three-straight trips to the NBA Finals with the Cavaliers and forward LeBron James.

Multiple outlets reported on Wednesday that Irving will wear No. 11 for the Celtics.

To add to the drama of the trade, the Cavaliers open the 2017-2018 season against the Celtics on Oct. 18 at 8 p.m.

Here’s what NBA fans and analysts had to say about the trade:

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