Bleacher Report recently ranked the Top 10 free agent point guards this offseason. Where did Isaiah Thomas of the Los Angeles Lakers rank?
With the NBA Draft and free agency right around the corner for the Los Angeles Lakers, they will be very busy in the coming weeks. Since the Lakers have a lot of cap space for the offseason, that means that they have a lot of free agents.
One of those free agents is point guard Isaiah Thomas. The Lakers acquired Thomas right before the trade deadline in a deal with the Cleveland Cavaliers. With an expiring contract, Thomas was an appealing piece for the Lakers, as he sought to prove what he could still do after a disappointing short tenure in Cleveland.
However, Thomas didn’t get a chance to impress teams with the Lakers, as he didn’t play too much before undergoing a second hip surgery. While this surgery wasn’t as severe as the first one, a second surgery is certainly concerning.
Recently, Bleacher Report ranked the Top 10 free agent point guards. Thomas was ranked second despite the hip issue on their list.
Seeing Thomas ranked second on the list is a bit surprising after the poor season, but when healthy, Thomas was an MVP candidate in the 2016-17 season. In front of Thomas, Chris Paul was deservingly ranked as the top free agent point guard.
After Thomas, Fred Van Fleet was ranked third, as after his strong season with the Toronto Raptors, Van Fleet could be ready to take another step forward in his career.
For Thomas, this will be an interesting market as a free agent. Despite the hip injury, he could still be looking at a lucrative contract because of what he was able to accomplish with the Celtics. However, it is hard to imagine that a team would invest a lot in Thomas long-term.
Next: Ranking the 30 greatest scorers in Lakers history
Depending on his health, Thomas could be a great acquisition for a team willing to take a chance on him. If the hip is right, Thomas can easily average 20 points per game, and that is not an easy thing to find in the NBA.