Isaiah Thomas has made it clear that he sees himself as a starter and not a reserve player, the role he has occupied since he was traded to the Lakers. The Lakers will have ample cap space this summer with the intention of luring at least two top free agents. Unless the Lakers want to start Thomas alongside Lonzo Ball, it’s unlikely that Thomas re-signs with Los Angeles.
Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report opines that while a Thomas reunion with the Lakers is unlikely, it should not be ruled out. LeBron James and Paul George will be the Lakers’ top two targets; James and Thomas were teammates for 15 games in Cleveland this season. If James decides to sign with the Lakers, Thomas re-signing likely becomes more unlikely, Pincus writes.
“Of course, if Thomas insists he’s a starter and will only re-sign on that contingency, the Lakers would presumably need to start him alongside Ball,” Pincus writes. “If George and Ingram are forwards, perhaps [Julius] Randle slides over to start at center.”
Starting two point guards — including a 29-year-old coming off an injury-riddled season — does not sound like something the Lakers would prefer.
Check out more Pacific Division notes below:
- Clippers head coach Doc Rivers was fined $15K for criticizing the officials in the team’s loss to the Rockets on Thursday, per ESPN. Rivers was critical of the referees’ lack of calls for his team.
- Sindarius Thornwell and Jawun Evans were prepared for the G League this season and were not expecting significant minutes with the Clippers. A rash of injuries have given Thornwell and Evans key roles, in which they have excelled, Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times writes.
- Suns big man Alan Williams was assigned to the G League’s Northern Arizona Suns this week. However, he will not play for the NBA team until he gets into a game with the G League affiliate, which is expected on Wednesday, tweets Scott Bordow of Arizona Central Sports.
Doc is right. Especially in the 2nd half, LAC got jobbed
This dude Thomas was a product of Stevens’s system and he feels entitled to superstar status when he’s not at that level. Yelling at Kuzma and Randle like he’s Lebron? You need to go to Orlando with that, a team that needs that. The Lakers already have their floor general in Ball.