So much has been made about the emotional split for Isaiah Thomas with Boston in the Kyrie Irving mega-trade that it's easy to forget other players were also involved in the deal. 

In addition to Thomas being shipped to Cleveland, Ante Zizic and Jae Crowder were also sent to the Cavs in exchange for Kyrie Irving. Crowder, a critical piece of the deal, recalled the emotional moment he learned of the trade and told his mother, who died of cancer five minutes after he told her.

"There was a lot going on that day, obviously," Crowder said at his introductory press conference on Thursday. "The good thing about the whole ordeal was I was able to whisper it to my mom before she passed. I was with her. I just told her, 'We're going to Cleveland.' Five minutes later, she passed."

Crowder, now 27, has endured an emotional offseason. Not only was he a part of the Celtics when the team drafted a player at his position with No. 3 overall pick in Jayson Tatum, but he was also there when they landed Gordon Hayward -- one of the summer's biggest free agent acquisitions, and yet another player who seemingly would have chomped into his playing time as a Celtic. So couple all that with the death of his mother, and it's easy to empathize with his offseason emotions.

In Cleveland, Crowder finds himself in a unique opportunity playing alongside LeBron James on the best team in the Eastern Conference. And on Thursday, he seemed thrilled to be in a new situation with a chance to compete for an NBA title.

"That day was tough, but it was a good day for myself, for my basketball career, to move on to an organization like this, like the Cleveland Cavaliers, to put myself in a position to play for it all. I couldn't ask myself for nothing else. I was thankful for Boston, for everything they've done for me, and for trading me to a team like this. I was thankful for the opportunity. But that day was pretty wild."