For the Boston Celtics, trading Isaiah Thomas is not the answer
By Tom Hyland
For the Boston Celtics, trading Isaiah Thomas isn’t the answer
Prior to the 2017 NBA Draft Lottery, some flirted with the idea that the Boston Celtics should trade Isaiah Thomas. After the Celtics officially secured the No. 1 overall pick in the draft, many seemed set on the idea of giving up on Isaiah Thomas and handing the reins to Markelle Fultz or Lonzo Ball, whoever Boston decides at No. 1.
One notion suggests that Isaiah Thomas, who just came off a season where he averaged 28.9 points a game, will probably not put up those numbers again. Thomas also becomes a free agent in 2018 and will likely demand max money.
The idea of giving a player who will be 29 at the end of next season a huge contract is not favourable to many in the NBA community. Therefore, to some it seems logical to trade Thomas, while he has considerable trade value, in a package for a star like Paul George or Jimmy Butler, and give the rookie the starting gig.
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This just makes no sense to me.
Why would you give up on a guy who just put up MVP-like numbers for a rookie? It doesn’t matter how highly touted Ball or Fultz have been all year, Thomas is Boston’s rock.
He’s arguably any Celtics fan’s favourite player since the 2008 championship team and was the main reason Boston finished with the No. 1 seed in the East this year. In just three seasons, Thomas has shown that he belongs in Boston and deserves to remain at the helm. At least for now.
After being taken with the last pick in the 2011 draft and being dismissed by the Kings after three seasons, Thomas has always played with a chip on his shoulder. The Kings didn’t seem to realize Thomas’s true potential and toyed with a number of replacement guards during his tenure with the team.
Thomas admitted he felt “very disrespected” after not being granted the starting role in Sacramento when he was moved to Phoenix as part of a sign-and-trade deal in 2014. He then wasted most of the 2014-15 season as part of that senseless point guard trio of Eric Bledsoe, Goran Dragic and Thomas before being traded to Boston as part of a three-team deal with Phoenix and Detroit.
Thomas was finally released to his full capability under new up-and-coming coach Brad Stevens and has steadily improved his numbers to the stats he put up this season as he’s been given more playing time.
He was written off by so many, but now he’s out there doing things that no one expected of a man of his height.
Per Basketball Reference, of Celtics who averaged at least 28.5 points and fives assists in a season, the only other players apart from Isaiah Thomas are Larry Bird and John Havlicek. That’s some prestigious company for the last pick of the draft.
It’s pretty difficult for any fan to dislike Thomas, a 5-foot-9 guard who can score with ease and lead a very good Celtics team to the 4th best record in the league. Bill Simmons recently called Thomas the greatest Celtics scorer since Bird. High praise for someone who just six years ago was considered nothing but an afterthought.
Isaiah Thomas’s 2016-17 season was one of historic proportions. If you compare his season averages to Allen Iverson’s 2000-01 MVP season, the numbers are remarkably similar. Although Iverson’s 31.1 points per game beats Isaiah’s 28.9, Thomas beats him in almost every other category.
Thomas has already cemented himself as one of the league’s premier closers
Thomas put up these numbers taking far fewer shots – taking 19.4 field goals per game compared to Iverson’s 25.5 – and doing so in almost 10 less minutes played than Iverson.
When the Boston Celtics acquired Thomas they were in need of a go-to scoring presence and Thomas filled that role in a way that far exceeded expectations. In Steven’s high screen-and-roll offense, Thomas absolutely thrives as the primary ball handler.
Thomas usually starts on the wing and gets a double staggered screen that allows him to turn the corner and go downhill and attack the basket. His ability to come off a screen, or hand off, and then either take a switch on a bigger defender and create space for the shot or dip inside under the larger man for the layup is incrediscreenble.
In addition, Thomas has already cemented himself as one of the league’s premier closers. He has been King in the Fourth this year, averaging 9.8 points in the final quarter of the regular season. Only four players in the history of the game have ever averaged over 8.5 points in the final frame; Russell Westbrook (10, 2016-17), Tracy McGrady (8.6, 2002-03), Kobe Bryant (9.5, 2005-06) and LeBron James (9.1, 2007-08).
Despite averaging 24.8 points and 6.7 assists during the playoffs, which included a historic 53-point outburst against the Wizards in the Eastern Conference Semifinals, Isaiah’s Celtics are about to get fed into LeBron’s wood chipper.
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Consequently, one could argue that as the Celtics will likely get swept by the Cavs they should therefore embrace rebuilding until the two titans of Cleveland and Golden state fall off the top spot.
But at the same time, it makes little sense for a team to take a step back coming off a season where they earned the top seed in the East and secured a trip to the Eastern Conference Finals.
Current considerations for this offseason have swayed towards the idea of either trading Isaiah Thomas or the No. 1 overall pick for a star like George or Butler. But in hindsight, the best plan going forward would be to take Markelle Fultz with the No. 1 pick and build an effective two guard tandem of Fultz and Thomas, which in time will rival the likes of Portland or Golden State in terms of backcourt efficiency.
It makes more sense for the Boston Celtics to wait a year and most likely have another trip to the playoffs. If Boston performs well, free agents will be available next season (even if they miss out on Gordon Hayward) and they still have another first-round pick from Brooklyn in 2018 that they can dangle as leverage when negotiating a trade.
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If the Celtics do make the playoffs next year on a backcourt combo of Thomas and Fultz, Boston will be a premier destination over the next few summers for any player looking to contend.