Getty Isaiah Thomas was traded to the Cavaliers for Kyrie Irving
Boston Celtics head coach Brad Stevens indicated to reporters that the team hadn’t considered trading All-Star point guard Isaiah Thomas before the Cleveland Cavaliers put Kyrie Irving on the table.
“These guys that cover us every day know that that was a really hard time because there was never a thought that we would possibly have traded him, and then Kyrie became available,” Stevens said on Monday, according to The Athletic’s Jay King.
Stevens added that the deal was hard to take in his household: “But that’s because he did so much in Boston because he was so well-liked and how much he poured his heart into the game of basketball. This guy works as hard and is as dedicated as anyone I’ve been around.”
Isaiah Thomas’ Post-Celtics Struggles
During the 2017 offseason, the Celtics traded Thomas, Ante Zizic, and the draft rights to the Brooklyn Nets’ first-round pick to the Cavaliers for Irving. The Cavs then traded him to the Lakers midseason. Thomas struggled through the 2017-18 season, shooting just 37.3 percent from the field as he dealt with the effects of a hip injury suffered the previous season.
This past offseason, Thomas signed a one-year deal with the Denver Nuggets.
The Celtics are in Denver to play the Nuggets on Monday night, but Thomas won’t be playing, as he’s still recovering from hip surgery with no timetable for a return.
“As you know, IT is one of a kind and for all of us that have been with him and spent time with him, we’re hopeful that this time when he comes back he feels great and is ready to roll,” Stevens said, per King. “There’s no question his impact on an organization and a team is hard to match. He meant so much to me and the way he kind of captivated Boston and the years that he had there it’s amazing. He’s an amazing guy. We obviously still keep in touch pretty regularly, but we’ll all look forward to seeing him back out on the court.”
Thomas’ 2016-17 MVP Push
Thomas’ 28.9 points per game in 2016-17 were third in the league, propelling the Celtics to a 53-29 record and the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference. He also dished 5.9 assists per game and earned his second consecutive All-Star nod.
The day after learning that his younger sister, Chyna Thomas, had died in a car accident, an emotional Thomas led his team to a win in Boston’s first playoff game, eventually carrying the team to a date with LeBron James’ Cavs in the conference finals. Thomas played two games in the series before being ruled out for the remainder of the playoffs with a hip injury.