NBA Rumors: After Tony Parker’s Departure, Spurs Should Consider Signing Isaiah Thomas, ‘Sportskeeda’ Suggests
After 17 seasons in San Antonio, Tony Parker decided to leave the Spurs and sign with the Charlotte Hornets in free agency. Parker’s departure is undeniably a huge loss for the Spurs, especially with their goal to compete for the NBA championship next season. In need of a backcourt boost, the Spurs may consider finding Parker’s replacement in the free agency market.
According to Sportskeeda, one of the intriguing free agent targets for the Spurs is Isaiah Thomas. Despite spending the most of the 2017-18 NBA season recovering from a hip injury, Thomas will still be a great addition to the Spurs. Thomas will fill the hole left by Parker on the offensive end of the floor, and if he proves that he is 100 percent recovered, Spurs coach Gregg Popovich may consider using him as their starting point guard next season.
“Gregg Popovich and his San Antonio Spurs have become used to having a point guard that is more suited to finding opportunities to score rather than being a typical playmaker and Isaiah Thomas can fit that mold much like Parker did for years in San Antonio. With Popovich generally employing a system of fast-paced ball movement, they may be looking for another scorer to help lessen the load for LaMarcus Aldridge who neared a career-high in averaging 23.1 points per game in the 2017/18 season.”
Why Isaiah Thomas faces a ‘far different reality’ as a free agent compared to when he was… https://t.co/RJIWgrf907 pic.twitter.com/CaFINxRwle
— Zesty Boston Celtics (@zesty_celtics) July 7, 2018
Isaiah Thomas would be an ideal target for the Spurs since he is not expected to demand a huge contract in free agency. According to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, as reported by the Boston Globe, Thomas could only seek a cheap one-year deal like DeMarcus Cousins. Thomas could use the opportunity to prove that he is 100 percent healthy and has returned to his All-Star form. This will enable him to increase his value when he becomes an unrestricted free agent in the summer of 2019.
Before he suffered a hip injury, Thomas was a strong candidate for the 2017 Most Valuable Player award. In his last season with the Boston Celtics, he averaged 28.9 points and 5.9 assists on 46.3 percent shooting from the field and 37.9 percent from beyond the arc. If he can establish the same performance in San Antonio, it would not be a surprise if the Spurs become a major threat in the Western Conference next season.
As of now, it remains unknown if the Spurs have any interest in signing Isaiah Thomas in free agency. So far, their main priority is to fix their relationship with Kawhi Leonard and convince him to sign the massive contract extension this summer.
