The Lakers don’t have any hope of making the playoffs in the highly competitive Western Conference, so the final stretch of the regular season is all about building momentum for next season.
For much of the young roster, that means continuing to develop and proving your worth as a quality NBA contributor for when the Lakers land a bigger star in free agency (at least that’s their hope). Julius Randle and others are auditioning for a new contract in free agency, with the potential that they stick around with the Lakers.
The highest profile free agent to be in L.A. is Isaiah Thomas, whose future is very much in question. Thomas once wanted to see the Celtics “back up the Brinks truck” for him, but now he’s now hoping to land a starting role and, at the least, a solid contract this summer. Thomas’ hip injury and subsequent drop-off in play since returning has significantly damaged his value on the market, but he’s hoping to use the stretch run to prove he is still a quality point guard in the league.
Beyond just having to answer questions about his health and value he can bring to a team, Thomas has to find a franchise in need of point guard help and with a good bit of cap space to bring him in this summer. There are very few teams that check both boxes, so he may have to settle for one of his demands or the other when it comes to role and money. Because of that, it should come as no surprise that during a Twitter Q+A, Thomas wouldn’t close the door on any possibility this summer, including a return to Boston.
https://twitter.com/isaiahthomas/status/975556089864388609
Thomas’ frustration with being traded by the Celtics has been well-documented, but he knows he can’t completely burn any bridges heading into free agency. The likelihood of Boston looking to sign Thomas is almost nonexistent, but the former All-Star has to hope someone wants him and can’t afford to cross any potential teams off the list right now, at least publicly — if Cleveland offered him a big deal for some reason, he’d likely take it.
It’s hard not to feel for Thomas, who for years outperformed his contract but is just now hitting unrestricted free agency at a time when his quality of play has diminished to the point that he won’t likely land the desired deal that could make up for those past discrepancies in value and contract. Not only has he seen a decline, but he’s hitting the market in a season when the vast majority of NBA teams are capped out and unable to make a strong bid for his services even if they wanted to.
