In the midst of yesterday's deadline activity, Former-Celtic and crowd favorite, Isaiah Thomas, got traded from the Washington Wizards to the Los Angeles Clippers, but he is scheduled to be waived, making him a free agent once again. How much turmoil does this man have to endure?
The Clippers obviously have a need for Marcus Morris, but IT does not fit into their plans. The major questions arising out of this are: "Where does he go now?" - and, "Does Danny Ainge bring him back to Boston?" Isaiah clearly wants to be with a contender for the post-season, and the Clippers are certainly that. But that won't happen. Well, how about the Celtics?
Fan reactions to Thomas' trade run the gamut of "His NBA career is over." - to - "He is the bench scorer Boston needs." Well, we know what IT could do in the playoffs. But the question remains as to whether he still has that ability to run defenders ragged with his offensive moves. The second issue concerns his defensive liabilities. But with the trade deadline now in the rear view mirror, who gets cut from the present Celtics roster to accommodate IT? And will better buyout candidates become available down the road? Cleveland center, Tristan Thompson's, name has already been raised as a buyout/waiver guy.
Per Wikipedia, Thomas had been playing with cartilage loss and arthritis for a few seasons prior to Danny Ainge trading him to Cleveland in the Kyrie Irving deal. Isaiah's health may be the major issue here. A return to Boston as a bench player could happen, but there are too many questions that make it unlikely. Danny's close friend, Kevin McHale, once called Ainge "one cold character" in reference to Danny's propensity to trade anyone - anytime.
But Ainge is not heartless. He once brought back Leon Powe to the Celtics front office, where Leon remains as Community Ambassador. Danny failed to resign the injured Powe following the 2007-08 Championship season, after which Leon's career declined significantly. If Isaiah doesn't land with a contender as a player, including Boston as a possibility, we may see IT brought back to the Celtics front office. That would be a fine backup plan for a player that has been through the mill.
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The Clippers will not be keeping Isaiah Thomas, acquired today from Washington in three-team deal with Knicks that brought Marcus Morris to LA and send Moe Harkless/picks to NYC, per league source.
— David Aldridge (@davidaldridgedc) February 6, 2020
The Clippers obviously have a need for Marcus Morris, but IT does not fit into their plans. The major questions arising out of this are: "Where does he go now?" - and, "Does Danny Ainge bring him back to Boston?" Isaiah clearly wants to be with a contender for the post-season, and the Clippers are certainly that. But that won't happen. Well, how about the Celtics?
Fan reactions to Thomas' trade run the gamut of "His NBA career is over." - to - "He is the bench scorer Boston needs." Well, we know what IT could do in the playoffs. But the question remains as to whether he still has that ability to run defenders ragged with his offensive moves. The second issue concerns his defensive liabilities. But with the trade deadline now in the rear view mirror, who gets cut from the present Celtics roster to accommodate IT? And will better buyout candidates become available down the road? Cleveland center, Tristan Thompson's, name has already been raised as a buyout/waiver guy.
Per Wikipedia, Thomas had been playing with cartilage loss and arthritis for a few seasons prior to Danny Ainge trading him to Cleveland in the Kyrie Irving deal. Isaiah's health may be the major issue here. A return to Boston as a bench player could happen, but there are too many questions that make it unlikely. Danny's close friend, Kevin McHale, once called Ainge "one cold character" in reference to Danny's propensity to trade anyone - anytime.
But Ainge is not heartless. He once brought back Leon Powe to the Celtics front office, where Leon remains as Community Ambassador. Danny failed to resign the injured Powe following the 2007-08 Championship season, after which Leon's career declined significantly. If Isaiah doesn't land with a contender as a player, including Boston as a possibility, we may see IT brought back to the Celtics front office. That would be a fine backup plan for a player that has been through the mill.
Follow Tom at @CelticsSentinel, @CausewayStreet and Facebook
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