NBA Rumors: ‘Hoops Habit’ Suggests Isaiah Thomas Could Sign With San Antonio Spurs In Free Agency
Isaiah Thomas was, at one point, considered to be one of the best scorers and point guards in the NBA. That “point” was just two years ago with the Boston Celtics. Last year, unfortunately, Thomas struggled with the Cleveland Cavaliers and was unable to make a major impact on the Los Angeles Lakers in his short time there.
In the 2016-17 season, Thomas was expected to receive a massive contract when he hit free agency this offseason. Now, however, Thomas is going to be fighting to land with a team that can offer him a starting opportunity and a decent contract.
According to Hoops Habit, the San Antonio Spurs might be the perfect team to sign Thomas this offseason. They can offer him the ability to start at the point guard position potentially, while they also will need help on the offensive end of the court. Kawhi Leonard appears to be headed out of town, which could mean that Thomas could become the go-to guard again leading the offense.
“Thomas likely won’t be granted a max contract, but he could quickly fit into the Spurs’ offense as one of the primary shooters. The Spurs are currently over the league’s salary cap for 2018-19, leaving them with just enough room to sign players at a league minimum or by using available exceptions, per Spotrac. The team would have to find a way to sneak in a free agency signing like Thomas, depending on his market value.”
Last season in 17 regular season games with the Lakers, Thomas averaged 15.6 points per game to go along with 5.0 assists and 2.1 rebounds. He shot just 38.3 percent from the floor overall and knocked down 32.7 percent of his three-point attempts. Those numbers simply aren’t what fans have come to know and love from Thomas.
Isaiah Thomas: 5 potential landing spots in 2018 #NBA free agency https://t.co/Xap2IWp4Ow — @DBOY035 via @HoopsHabit pic.twitter.com/Ach9HadP9k
— HoopsHabit (@HoopsHabit) June 30, 2018
Playing in a system like San Antonio could offer him might be an ideal situation for Thomas. Gregg Popovich might be the guy that can help Thomas get back to being one of the NBA’s elite point guards.
Standing in at 5-foot-9 and 185 pounds, Thomas is one of the most undersized players that the NBA has seen. Especially in today’s game, where players are continually getting bigger and more athletic. Despite the size mismatches that he faces on a nightly basis, Thomas has found ways to succeed in the NBA.
It will be interesting to see what kind of market forms for Thomas. He is likely still a player that quite a few teams would be interested in signing at the right price. Other teams will steer clear of him due to his history of hip injury issues and the struggles that he had last season in Cleveland and L.A.
San Antonio may not end up showing interest in Thomas, but it would certainly make sense. He will come on a bargain contract and San Antonio is in major need of offensive help. That is something that Thomas is still capable of doing.
Expect to hear Thomas receive plenty of interest from quite a few different teams this offseason. He may never get back to being considered as a superstar scorer, but he is a capable NBA point guard that should interest some teams.
