Isaiah Thomas rumors: Boston Celtics first to call
Over the last few seasons, Sacramento Kings’ point guard Isaiah Thomas has developed into a very good player.
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He’ll never have the size to be an elite defender or a star player, but he has carved out a role as a solid facilitator and an excellent scorer. Now, he will be looking to cash in as a restricted free agent.
However, the first team to contact Thomas wasn’t one of the above-mentioned teams and it wasn’t the Kings. Instead, it was the Boston Celtics who made contact with Thomas.
According to Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders, Celtics’ president Danny Ainge was the first to call Thomas.
The Boston Celtics were first team to call restricted free agent Isaiah Thomas when free agency started, per source. Danny Ainge called.
— Alex Kennedy (@AlexKennedyNBA) July 1, 2014
Thomas seems like a strange fit because the Celtics just selected former Oklahoma State Cowboys’ point guard Marcus Smart with the sixth-overall pick in Thursday night’s draft. It could indicate the Celtics may be ready to trade Rajon Rondo. If the Celtics are really that interested in Thomas, perhaps a deal can be made because the Kings reportedly have a lot of interest in Rondo.
Thomas averaged 20.3 points, 6.3 assists, 2.9 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game last season while shooting 45.3% from the field, 34.9% from beyond the arc and 85.0% from the free throw line. Smith put up 16.4 points, 6.8 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 1.4 blocks and 1.4 steals per game while shooting 41.9% from the field, 26.4% from three and 53.2% from the charity stripe.