While the outcome of where Isaiah Thomas will play next is not as huge as where LeBron James will end up, his destination is still important. What Thomas will have to consider when choosing a team is money and purpose. Thomas still believes he can get a max deal and better yet, he still believes he’s a starter. So what team will he choose this summer? According to Grant Hughes of Bleacher Report , Thomas could end up with the Orlando Magic.
How many teams in the league need a point guard and the ones who do, how many are willing to pay Thomas high dollar plus give him starter minutes?
It’s not that Thomas is a bad player, but he has not been as good as he was during the 2016 season while with the Boston Celtics. Thomas had surgery on his hip Thursday which ended his season with the Los Angeles Lakers and may have ended his tenure with them as well. Thomas averaged 28.9 points last season but just 15.6 this year with the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Lakers. But still, Hughes thinks that Orlando will welcome him with open arms and Thomas should do the same.
If Orlando can somehow manage to keep Aaron Gordon, the Magic could have an explosive offense next season.
Pairing Thomas with Gordon, Nikola Vucevic, Jonathan Simmons, and Evan Fournier could let Thomas be the scorer he was in Boston. The Magic are all but praying for a top-tier point guard to fall into their lap this offseason after ridding themselves of Elfrid Payton. The issue with this signing will be the money.
Hughes thinks that Thomas and the Magic should come to term in a mid-level exception but Thomas may be in the market for a huge payday. If so, then this could all but eliminate the Magic from the short-list of Thomas suitors. But if a deal can be done, the Magic will no longer take the floor as the 25th ranked offense in the NBA. Thomas may not put up 30 points per night as once before, but 20 points per will provide the Magic their best output from that position in years.
