After sitting out seven months, Isaiah Thomas made his Cleveland Cavaliers debut on Jan. 2 during the 2017-18 NBA season. However, following just 15 appearances, Thomas was traded along with Channing Frye and the team's 2018 first round draft pick to the Los Angeles Lakers for Larry Nance Jr. and Jordan Clarkson.
During Thomas' time in Los Angeles, he showed flashes of his former self. In 17 appearances, the 29-year-old averaged 15.6 points, 2.1 rebounds, and 5.0 assists in 26.8 minutes. Following surgery, Thomas spoke to the media for the first time and reflected on his stint with the Lakers according to Bill Oram of Orange County Register:
“I feel like I played pretty well,” Thomas said. “I could always play better, but at the same time, I showed people that I can still play at a high level given the opportunity.”
As Thomas is expected to fully recover in four months, he shared his thoughts on his upcoming free agency:
“The results will show that the surgery only fixed it,” he said. “The world knew that I never got my labrum fixed when I was going through that and trying to heal on my own. … The decision that I made it felt like it was the best decision for me personally, individually, as a basketball player for the rest of my career.”
Although Thomas showed what he could do when given the opportunity, there is still a major risk associated with giving him a max contract. With not too many teams having cap space or in need of a starting point guard, it will be interesting to see what ultimately happens.
For the Lakers, there is the possibility of re-signing Thomas to a one-year deal depending on how free agency goes for them. As they have cap space for two max contract players, Thomas could return if the Lakers ultimately strike out on LeBron James and Paul George. Although the seven-year veteran views himself as a starter, he could get paid significantly and the Lakers would preserve cap space for next year's free agency.
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