The Los Angeles Lakers underwent several changes in free agency, and as a result it cost them a couple of members from the roster last season. One such player who hasn’t been spoken about too much is point guard Isaiah Thomas.
The Lakers acquired Thomas at the trade deadline and he was solid for the team, averaging 15.6 points and 5.0 assists in 17 games before being shut down early for his long-needed hip surgery. Some wondered whether the Lakers would bring Thomas back, but he ultimately signed a one-year deal with the Denver Nuggets.
As it turns out, he was never close to re-signing with the Lakers as it was revealed in an interview with ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, that the only offer Thomas had was from the Nuggets, a fact he wasn’t pleased by:
For those who think this summer has been a disaster, Thomas considers it merely a disappointment. In the end, he had one true offer — the Denver Nuggets — a fact that he flatly calls “disrespectful.”
When LeBron James agreed to sign with the Lakers, many believed that Thomas returning was unlikely as there were reports of the two not getting along too well in Cleveland.
Once the Lakers agreed to a deal with Rajon Rondo, however, it became clear that a reunion with Thomas was out of the question. With both Rondo and Lonzo Ball, there was no need for Thomas to be on the roster as well.
The Lakers were looking for defenders and playmakers and Rondo fits that bill more than Thomas. While it isn’t clear exactly what discussions Thomas and the Lakers had, it is obvious that he simply wasn’t in the team’s future plans.
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