Isaiah Thomas isn’t a free agent until the end of next season, but he’s already seeing dollar signs. The Boston Celtics guard says he knows his big payday is coming, and it’s not wise to expect he takes a discount to stay in Boston. Thomas spoke with CSN New England’s A. Sherrod Blackely at Las Vegas Summer League and said that he’s a “max guy” and he’s excited to get a big payday next summer.
“My time is coming,” Thomas said. “They know they’ve got to bring the Brink’s truck.”
While a team like the Golden State Warriors seems very keen on keeping the franchise together for the greater good, Thomas’ comments may come off as a bit flippant. Consider how different this summer could have gone for the Celtics if they kept the first overall pick and drafted Markelle Fultz. In that case, Thomas could have been traded and Boston isn’t worried about another max deal this summer.
And max deals mean franchises have to make hard choices, especially when it comes to their star guard, who be 29 when he hits free agency next year. Thomas also said it “hurt” to see the Celtics have to trade Avery Bradley as part of an effort to make cap room for Gordon Hayward, who the team convinced to join Boston in free agency.
“He’s meant everything,” Thomas said at the Las Vegas Summer League. “That’s one of my best friends, someone I grew up with. To wake up and see that this morning … that’s the business of the game.”
It’s the business of the game, sure, but it’s not a great look to make inadvertent contract demands a year away from free agency. Especially after the team got worse defensively in order to get a superstar free agent signed.
Thomas might think the Celtics need to give him a truck full of cash to stay in Boston, but there’s no telling exactly what Celtics general manager Danny Ainge thinks Thomas is worth in the first place.
