How trade deadline affects OKC Thunder amid winners and losers
Isaiah Thomas:
The saga of Isaiah Thomas in the past year is the stuff movies are written about. Adored and embraced by the Boston Celtics fans he rose up the ladder of prominence becoming an MVP candidate.
His fourth-quarter shooting prowess was on constant display and he seemed poised to have positioned himself as part of the core unit in Boston.
The tragic loss of his sister as the playoffs begin resonated league-wide with all fans’ hearts breaking for Thomas. The admiration for Thomas who performed in spite of the loss was overwhelming. Then the hip injury ended his postseason and he was forced out.
Looking back, however, there were hints Thomas’ downward spiral was coming. In season, on the few occasions the Celtics had issues or went on losing streaks Thomas would opine to the media he needed to be on the court more, particularly in clutch situations. The fact his defense made the Celtics vulnerable was why he wasn’t.
Post-trade the wheels come off:
Following the trade, I recall telling one of the BBoyz- you watch this is not going to be good for Thomas. He’s an abysmal defender, needs the ball in his hands, and now that he’s been deemed among the elite will want to remain in the spotlight. All of these problems made joining a terrible Cavaliers defense with LeBron James being the best playmaker on the team and the noted star of the league were reasons to foresee the issues.
Thomas fed right into it going after the pro (Kevin Love), calling out his coach and teammates’ effort. This was a huge error on Thomas’ part because he was a big part of the problem and hadn’t earned the right to be taking center stage on LeBron’s team.
And, the trade doesn’t end Thomas’ issues. The fact he could be released just so the Lakers can sign LeBron James will only add salt to an open wound. Perhaps the worst part of the situation, however, is Thomas has earned a reputation of being a malcontent and enters the free agent market desirous of a max contract.
Effect on OKC Thunder:
The Thunder completed their season series against the Lakers, so Thomas’ addition is a moot point. Although, you can imagine Westbrook is disappointed he won’t get to match up versus the defensively lacking Thomas.