Isaiah Thomas is the newest member of the Los Angels Lakers, a second chance at a fresh start in what’s been a frustrating 2017-18 season for the guard.
After an abrupt trade from the Boston Celtics and a half-season on the shelf recovering from a hip injury, Thomas struggled mightily to adjust when he finally made the floor in Cleveland. As the team fell into a serious funk in January, bickering and finger-pointing besieged the Cavs.
From the outside, it seemed that much of that infighting was coming from Thomas. He was critical of his coaches and the team unity the Cavaliers showed, especially on defense. But before he was moved to the Lakers for Jordan Clarkson and Larry Nance Jr., Thomas stressed that he didn’t want to leave Cleveland. The point guard said he was “tired” of getting traded and wanted to play somewhere he felt wanted.
https://twitter.com/ChrisFedor/status/961468935190335493
Those wishes clearly were not honored on Thursday, but it’s also clear that Thomas didn’t make it easy for anyone in Cleveland. In an effort to save the season, Cleveland essentially blew up half their team to retool and give LeBron James some immediate help, while somehow trying to build for the future in case James leaves in free agency.
That’s a future that won’t include IT, though it seemed to just a few short months ago. Things change quickly in the NBA, though, and for Thomas he simply will have to make a new home in LA.
