Sacramento Kings: Mike Malone trying to bring back Isaiah Thomas
Isaiah Thomas will be a free agent this summer, but it seems that the Sacramento Kings’ starting point guard doesn’t plan to leave the team. There is mutual interest between the Kings and Thomas, and the player’s healthy relationship with head coach Mike Malone certainly helps. In an interview with Cowbell Kingdom Thomas stated that he believes Malone is trying to bring him back this summer, and the two are constantly in contact:
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"Coach Malone has been 100 percent real with me since day one. And we talk almost every day. He’s texting me. We talk about the games, who’s playing. About the draft, what I think about this player. He’s a great guy, man. The best coach I’ve had since I’ve been here and he’s a player’s coach.(via Cowbell Kingdom)"
Due to his low rookie salary, Thomas has been a subject of a lot of trade rumors, especially as he broke out last season and averaged over 20 points per game. Even though his contract was a great way to potentially sweeten some major deals, the Kings ultimately valued him too much and kept him past the February trade deadline.
Despite being undersized Thomas has made up for it with his stellar and explosive offensive game, and it looks like the Kings want to make him part of their long-term core.