It is sure to be a tense 24 hours for both sides, given the high stakes. But this much is certain: neither team can afford to have this disintegrate.

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At the time the deal was initially consummated, it was seen as a home run for the Cavaliers, giving them another explosive, scoring point guard to replace Irving and a combo forward in Crowder who can bolster the team around LeBron James. Perhaps most crucially, it landed Cleveland a pair of long-term assets (though mainly the Nets pick) to help them begin a rebuild if James opts to leave as a free agent next summer.

But as Cleveland’s concerns about Thomas’s hip became known, the reason also surfaced of why Boston was willing to give up this package for Irving. The Celtics already were a few wins better last year than they should’ve been (they had the point differential of a 48-win team, as opposed to the 53 victories they racked up), thanks largely to the clutch heroics of Thomas throughout the season, and while they added Gordon Hayward and Marcus Morris this summer, they were forced to part with Avery Bradley — a valuable contributor — to do so.

If Boston had to go into the regular season with Thomas sidelined for an unknown amount of time as he continues to rehab the hip injury he suffered during Boston’s run to the Eastern Conference finals, the Celtics might not only struggle to return to where they were last year, but they could take a significant step backward. Combined with the impending free agency of Thomas, a fan favorite in Boston who would command an expensive contract if he managed to come back and play well, and the Celtics potentially would have been left in a very difficult spot over the next 12 months.

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This was how Boston approached making the Irving deal — just look at General Manager Danny Ainge’s answer to a question about Thomas’s health during a conference call with reporters last week.

“Um, I don’t — you know, it, some,” he said, about whether the injury figured into their decision to trade Thomas. “There’s going to be probably a little bit of a delay for Isaiah as he starts the season this year, but — um — I think that Isaiah should be fine and healthy as the season goes along.”

That doesn’t sound like someone who is confident Thomas will be able to play anytime soon, which will undoubtedly be something Cavaliers officials bring up if the two sides do have further negotiations.

That brings us to the difficult position Cleveland was in when making this trade. Not only did the Cavaliers need to get the usual future assets back that teams hope to when they trade a star like Irving, but they also needed to find pieces that could fit properly next to James and allow Cleveland to maintain its status as a title contender. This also happened to be essentially the first thing Koby Altman was tasked with doing upon being named the team’s general manager last month.

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That’s what makes the haul Cleveland received all the more impressive, no matter what happens with Thomas. Let’s assume the worst case scenario, and Thomas is a non-factor in Cleveland this season. Even still, the Cavaliers would remain the favorite to make it back to a fourth consecutive NBA Finals. And in a potential title rematch with the Golden State Warriors, a late-game lineup featuring James at point guard alongside, say, Crowder, J.R. Smith, Richard Jefferson and Tristan Thompson would give Cleveland the kind of shooting and defensive versatility it needs to go toe-to-toe with the Warriors’ firepower.

The Cavaliers also have rightly placed plenty of value on the 2018 first-round pick they would get from Brooklyn. That pick, more than Thomas and Crowder, is the most valuable piece in the deal, and it’s the reason Cleveland has to get this done. Having the ability to add a significant young talent — either to grow alongside James if he stays, or to possibly swap for a veteran star if James wishes, or to begin the post-James era if he leaves — is a rare opportunity for a team as good as Cleveland, and one it can’t afford to pass up.

That leaves both teams with ample motivation to come to an agreement — even before taking into account the impact not making this deal would have on either squad’s chemistry. Irving, Thomas and Crowder are all significant contributors. Irving has made it clear he wants out of Cleveland, something that would obviously make for an awkward locker room all season if he doesn’t get moved, while Thomas and Crowder are both strong, emotional voices who could bristle about being shopped. If all players involve wind up back where they started, the Eastern Conference’s two best teams could be in tumult.

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The only acceptable solution here is for both sides to press forward and make the deal happen. Perhaps Boston will hold firm if Cleveland asks for additional compensation, as it seems the Cavaliers will. But with three other first round picks over the next two seasons and an additional 2020 second rounder at their disposal, the Celtics are capable of throwing in an extra sweetener, should they wish to do so.

Now we wait to see if one team blinks. For both, feeling less than satisfied with the final outcome of this trade is a far more palatable outcome than dealing with the ramifications of it not happening at all.