Danny Ainge: ‘We Want To Keep Isaiah’

Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge won’t let financial concerns force the team to get rid of Isaiah Thomas, writes Steve Bulpett of The Boston Herald.

Since Boston’s playoff run ended, there have been rumors that Thomas may not be part of the team’s long-term future, despite the outstanding season he just turned in. The two-time All-Star averaged 28.9 points per game and was considered part of the MVP race.

Thomas has one season left on his contract at about $6.26MM before becoming an unrestricted free agent in 2018, when the Celtics will also face decisions about Avery Bradley and Marcus Smart. Thomas is eligible for an extension this summer, and while Ainge didn’t promise that will happen, he tried to quash rumors about a possible deal.

“Yeah, we can fit everybody in,” Ainge said. “But listen, those are questions that I don’t even have answers for yet. That’s part of the difficult puzzle that is all hard. All I’m saying is those are things I have to worry about that even I don’t like to think about. And I know that those are going to be difficult decisions at some point. But we want to keep Isaiah.

“All I know is that he’s had an amazing year, and who doesn’t want Isaiah Thomas on their team? Like, you’ve got to be kidding me.”

Thomas was third in the league scoring race and earned second-team All-NBA honors. Ainge said he had one of the most impressive seasons ever compiled by a Celtics player, putting it in a class with the best of Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, Larry Bird and Bill Russell.

He also laughed at the idea that money will be a factor in keeping Thomas.

“Why do the fans need to worry about how much money he makes?” Ainge said. “I can understand if Isaiah and his wife and his agent are worried about that, but I don’t understand why that’s a conversation that needs to be had in the media.”

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