NBA Free Agency 2018: 5 offseason targets for the Orlando Magic
5. Isaiah Thomas
Isaiah Thomas has had everyone doubting him his entire career. From the time he was the last selection of the draft to the Sacramento Kings to his new contract with the Phoenix Suns to his All-Star rise with the Boston Celtics.
His short stint with the Cleveland Cavaliers never really got started. He dealt with a hip injury that he played through to help the Celtics surprisingly reach the Eastern Conference Finals two years ago.
Things did not work out in Cleveland. Thomas was too slow to come back and needed the ball in his hands too much. He failed to mesh with his teammates and, more importantly with LeBron James.
Things were not much better with the Los Angeles Lakers after the Cleveland Cavaliers traded him. He averaged 15.2 points per game still and 4.8 assists per game. Thomas shot just 37.3 percent from the floor and worse than 30 percent from beyond the arc. He lost a lot of the efficiency that made him truly special that year with the Celtics.
Thomas still has that within him, the question is just how much has the hip injury and subsequent surgery slowed him down?
This question will further cloud his value. Is a team going to be willing to give him a big contract without proving he is healthy and efficient again? Last year was such a huge disappointment, Thomas will have to prove himself all over again.
That feels like the story of Thomas’ career. And so Thomas might find himself having to go be the alpha of a rebuilding team or a team with some delusion of grandeur rather than joining a winning team to try to win a title.
A team like the Orlando Magic could desperately need Thomas’ scoring and playmaking. The team has needed a primary creator who could shoot and make his own shot while also making life easier for others. The team is starting D.J. Augustin and Shelvin Mack (the team leader in assists last year!) at point guard are in serious need of an upgrade there. Something they did not address in the Draft.
Even if Jeff Weltman wants the Magic to be patient, taking a shot at Thomas could be something that helps the team out in the long term. If he can make good on a smaller one or two-year deal, then that bigger payday might be down the road as a core of a growing young team.
It feels like a shortsighted move on the Magic. Another chance to get better quicker than their talent might allow. But Thomas would undoubtedly give the Magic a difference maker they have lacked for a long time.