Los Angeles Lakers guard Isaiah Thomas is one of many Lakers who will become free agents at the end of the season. The team must decide whether to try to re-sign him or let him move elsewhere.
Isaiah Thomas of the Los Angeles Lakers is one of the more intriguing NBA players. He was the last player selected in the 2011 draft, primarily because he only stands 5’9″. However, he silenced all doubters by becoming a prolific scorer, first off the bench, then as a starter, and he also became a two-time all-star with Boston.
Thomas had a fabulous 2016-17 season, averaging nearly 29 points per game and finishing 5th in the MVP voting. With his contract set to expire at the end of this season, he fully expected to receive a max deal. But his career took a sharp turn for the worse when he injured a hip in the 2017 playoffs.
Two trades later, IT played 17 games with the Lakers. He showed occasional flashes of his old self. But because his hip had not fully healed, he did not have the same quickness, and his jump shot lacked its former accuracy. His season ended prematurely when he opted to undergo arthroscopic surgery on that hip, and his uncertain future hinges on his recovery.
That leads to many questions. Once Thomas rehabs from surgery, will he be able to pick up where he left off a year ago? Will any team believe that he will, and offer to pay him accordingly? Should the Lakers attempt to re-sign him?
Reasons the Lakers should re-sign IT:
• If Thomas’ hip is 100% after surgery, he is an elite scorer that would enhance the Lakers offense
• Lakers coaches and management were impressed with his veteran leadership and believe he can continue to be a mentor to a young team
• He established solid on-court connections with both forward Julius Randle, who fans hope will be re-signed, and center Ivica Zubac, who may play a bigger role next season
• They gave up Jordan Clarkson and Larry Nance Jr to clear salary cap space in the trade for Thomas. It would be nice to show something concrete in return besides merely the possibility of signing a marquee’ free agent.
• IT is a Southern California native, and liked his time with the team
Reasons the Lakers should NOT re-sign IT:
• Regardless of his offensive contributions, he is a defensive liability who on some nights gives up more points than he scores.
• To be most effective, Thomas needs to control the ball. That could detract from the continued development of young Lakers such as Lonzo Ball and Brandon Ingram.
• This season IT willingly accepted a sixth-man role. Will he continue to agree to come off the bench, or would that potentially be a divisive issue?
The Lakers two biggest priorities this offseason seem to be pursuing at least one premier free agent and re-signing Randle. It is possible that the three most desirable free agents, Paul George, LeBron James and DeMarcus Cousins, all opt to remain with their current teams, or sign elsewhere. If that happens, Magic Johnson has said the team would save cap room to pursue a star in the class of 2019.
How might IT figure into their plans? If any team offers him an attractive multi-year deal, his time in L.A. will have ended. But because of his injury, teams may be leery about over-paying, and Thomas might not find any offer to his liking. Instead, he decides to spend next season proving his worth. In that instance, if the Lakers still have short-term cap room, they could sign him to a large one-year deal, much as they did this past season with Kentavious Caldwell-Pope.
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The possible future Lakers scenario is the same for Thomas as it is for both KCP and Brook Lopez. Each one is an unrestricted free agent. Chances are all three will sign multi-year contracts elsewhere. But it is conceivable that one of the three will return to the Lakers on a 1-year deal.
Fan opinions about the wisdom of re-signing IT vary tremendously. What do you think? Should the Lakers try to lure him back for another season, or should they wave goodbye?