Isaiah Thomas Says The Cavs Were In ‘Panic Mode’ When They Traded Him


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The Cavaliers were the NBA’s most active team at the trade deadline, completely reshuffling their roster after a terrible January that was showing no signs of improvement.

Cleveland made three trades at the deadline, ultimately dealing six players out to bring four players in. The first of those moves was also the most stunning, as the Cavs shipped Isaiah Thomas, Channing Frye and their 2018 first round pick to L.A. for Larry Nance Jr. and Jordan Clarkson. Thomas, of course, was the big player piece the Cavs got in the Kyrie Irving trade over the summer, but even with only 15 games under his belt in Cleveland it was apparent that partnership wasn’t working.

Thomas was struggling on the court with Cleveland and reports indicated it wasn’t going much better for him in the locker room, so the Cavs decided to cut bait and move Thomas at the deadline. ESPN’s E:60 recently sat down with Thomas for an upcoming feature that will air March 11 about his tumultuous season, but they released a clip of him explaining his thoughts on the trade and why Cleveland made it.

“I was surprised,” Thomas said. “I didn’t think they would pull the trigger that fast. What, 15 games? But again it’s a business and the Cavs were in panic mode. We was losing a lot and I think they felt like they needed to make a move and they basically cleared house. I have no hard feelings against Cleveland. It just didn’t work out and that just happens.”

Prior to the deal Thomas said he didn’t want to be traded again, so while he may have been surprised it couldn’t have come as a total shock as there had been some rumors swirling about that as a possibility. The rest of the comment is pretty accurate. While the Cavs probably would use a different term than “panic mode,” they certainly were feeling pressure to make a number of moves to turn things around and when you trade six players, that’s certainly clearing house.

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