Los Angeles Lakers rumors are going to be rampant this offseason. Some of those rumors will involve point guard Isaiah Thomas.
Thomas’ path to playing for Los Angeles this season was unusual. After finishing fifth in the race for league MVP last season, Thomas was dealt in the offseason to the Cleveland Cavaliers. Boston Celtics general manager Danny Ainge dealt a package of Thomas, Jae Crowder, Ante Zizic and the Net’s 2018 First-Round pick in exchange for Kyrie Irving.
Fast forward to the present, and the only player from that deal left playing for the Cavaliers is Zizic. Due to chemistry issues on and off the court, Cleveland shipped Thomas off to L.A. and Crowder to Utah.
Since his arrival in L.A., Isaiah Thomas has improved his play and shown flashes of his MVP-caliber play from last season.
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Last season Thomas averaged 28.9 points last season while shooting 46.3 percent from the field and 37.9 percent from deep, per Basketball-Reference. He suffered a hip injury near the end of the season but has returned to average 15.9 points for the Lakers. He is currently shooting 38.3 percent from the field and 34.8 percent from the perimeter.
His decrease in production is understandable since he is coming off a hip injury. However, the Lakers have been glad to incorporate him into their team. His veteran leadership has helped the younger players immensely.
Though, speculation on his future with the Lakers organization has been rampant. Thomas hits unrestricted free agency this coming summer. With the Lakers looking to sign one or two max-level free agents, and also possibly retain Julius Randle, Thomas doesn’t seem to fit into the team’s long-term plans.
People have thus began to wonder what team Isaiah Thomas could potentially land with. Some people, like Twitter user Luke, used a Q & A session on Twitter with Thomas to ask the player if a return to Boston was even possible.
Would you consider coming back to Boston this offseason?
— Luke (@luke6hill) March 19, 2018
It’s hard to say from this small exchange if Thomas truly wants to return to Boston or if the team even has him factored into their off-season plans.
According to HoopsHype, Boston already has three guards under contract next season, not including Irving. Those players include Terry Rozier, Jaylen Brown and Marcus Smart.
It seems unlikely Boston would want to extend a contract to Thomas since it would complicate their guard rotation. Also, with Boston strapped for cash this summer, they won’t have enough money to pay what Thomas thinks he deserves.
Thomas’ free agency this summer should prove to be interesting. Predicting which team he will suit up for on opening night next season is difficult.
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However, with his tweet, maybe Isaiah Thomas is maneuvering a way back to Boston. If so, Boston can welcome back home a star that grew before their eyes in IT4.