Isaiah Thomas was one of the best players in the NBA last season with the Boston Celtics and was part of a massive blockbuster trade during the offseason. He was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers in the deal that sent Kyrie Irving to the Celtics. A new beginning in Cleveland alongside LeBron James was expected to be a good fit for Thomas.
Unfortunately, he did not fit well with James and the Cavaliers and ended up being traded once again. This time, Thomas was shipped to the Los Angeles Lakers in exchange for Jordan Clarkson and Larry Nance. It wasn’t an ideal trade for Thomas, as he was forced to come off the bench behind Lonzo Ball.
Thomas dealt with a hip injury that ended his season in the playoffs last year with the Celtics. He aggravated that injury again this year and the Lakers were forced to shut him down for the remainder of the year.
Despite having to be shut down, the Lakers are still maintaining interest in re-signing Thomas this offseason. He has talked about being interested in returning to L.A. as well. There is also a good chance that he will receive a lot of offers from other teams in free agency.
According to a prediction from 247 Sports , the Lakers and Thomas will agree to a new deal this offseason .
Los Angeles has been connected to quite a few high-profile free agents. Rumors have been swirling about LeBron James and Paul George being free agency targets. Other names that they have been connected to as potential targets are DeMarcus Cousins and Kawhi Leonard.
Isaiah Thomas still is on the Brad Stevens bandwagon.
“By far the best coach in the NBA.” https://t.co/4svhFLKwEE pic.twitter.com/gplrks3kbL
— NESN (@NESN) May 9, 2018
In the 2017-18 season in the 17 games that he played with the Lakers, Thomas ended up averaging 15.6 points per game to go along with 5.0 assists. He shot 38.3 percent from the floor overall and connected on 32.7 percent of his three-point attempts.
As a 29-year-old point guard, Thomas will likely end up signing a one- or two-year deal this offseason. He was expecting to cash in with a big contract this offseason, but injuries may force his value down a bit. Los Angeles may want to target bigger names, but Luke Walton liked the way that Thomas played last year.
His numbers may not have been up to his normal level this year with the Lakers, but he is still worth signing for any team. Thomas has a track record that proves he can be a major impact player and team leader.
Expect to see Thomas receive a lot of interest this offseason. Los Angeles is going to look around at the big names, but it would not be surprising to see them bring back Thomas when everything is said and done.
