Now that he is officially a member of the Cleveland Cavaliers, Isaiah Thomas took some time to write a letter for The Players Tribune to reveal what the trade process was like from his own perspective.
After disclosing how he learned of the deal that ultimately sent him to Northeast Ohio, Thomas changed the topic to the upcoming season, and what he expects from the Cavaliers.
“I’mma just say this here, point-blank, to get it over with — and then you can go ahead and post it on whatever bulletin boards you want to: You are not going to want to mess with the Cavs this year. This is going to be a great year to be a Cavs fan, a great year. And I’m excited.
“From a basketball perspective, me on the Cavs is a match made in heaven. If you’ve watched any Celtics games last year, then you know how many times I would have to go through double and even triple teams, just to get my shot off. It ended up working fine for us — guys played great, and my shot was falling. But this year … man, it’s not even going to be a thing. You really going to throw three guys on me, when I’m sharing a court with the best basketball player on the planet? Nah, I don’t think so.”
Thomas, now 28 years of age, makes a solid point, as he will indeed be playing alongside several great players in Cleveland, including LeBron James.
Thomas wasn’t kidding when he wrote about scoring through double and triple teams last season. In his 76 games played during the Celtics’ 2016-17 campaign, the two-time NBA All Star averaged 28.9 points (career-high) on 46 percent shooting from the field (career-high), 5.9 rebounds, 2.7 assists, and just under one steal (.9) in 33.8 minutes per contest.
Despite concerns of a lingering hip injury (labrum), it seems Thomas is looking forward to making noise in a wine and gold uniform.