Isaiah Thomas saw his brief tenure with the Cleveland Cavaliers come to an abrupt end on Thursday afternoon after he was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers.
The 29-year-old played in just 15 games with the Cavs, but it was enough to show the front office that the pairing alongside LeBron James wasn’t going to work for the long haul. According to Micah Adams of ESPN, this is also quite clear Thomas possessed the lowest net rating for any teammate that James has had in his career.
This has only brought more credence to the growing belief that Thomas wasn’t the missing piece to the puzzle for the Cavaliers. In fact, he had only contributed to their issues, especially defensively as he struggled in individual defensive assignments on the court.
The proof was in the pudding as the Cavaliers held a 7-8 record in the 15 games that he played. There had been the expectation of an adjustment period for the team to get acclimated to having Thomas in the fold, but things only worsened the further things went down the road.
That said, the trade with the Lakers could provide a lift for both sides with fresh starts. Thomas will have an opportunity to latch onto a prominent scoring role in Los Angeles while continuing to work his way back into elite form from his hip injury. It could also lend well to him positioning his way toward earning a lucrative contract in free agency this upcoming offseason that he has had his eyes fixated on.
Meanwhile, the Cavaliers are getting two young promising pieces to their roster in guard Jordan Clarkson and forward Larry Nance Jr., who can both become major contributors from the get-go. Clarkson has established himself as a dependable scorer while Nance Jr. is a versatile big man that can make an impact on both ends of the floor.