Isaiah Thomas Was Open To Boston Return Before Signing With Denver
BOSTON (CBS) -- Before signing a one-year deal the with Denver Nuggets this offseason, former Celtics guard Isaiah Thomas reached out to Danny Ainge about a potential return to Boston.
That may come as a bit of a shock, considering how things ended for Thomas in Boston. He put together an epic regular season in 2016-17, averaging 29 points per game for the C's and turning in several dramatic fourth quarter performances, and the 5-foot-9 guard appeared destined for a max contract this offseason. But he played through a nasty hip injury during Boston's postseason run in 2016-17 and eventually had to shut things down in the Eastern Conference finals. The injury crushed his value on the free agent market this offseason, and even after playing hurt and through the emotional pain of losing his younger sister the day before the playoffs started, Thomas was traded a few months later in Ainge's blockbuster swap with the Cleveland Cavaliers for Kyrie Irving.
Thomas was devastated by the move, especially after pouring his heart and soul into the Celtics during his two-plus seasons in green. He has since forgiven Ainge, understanding it was just part of the business of the game, and in an interview with ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, Thomas said he was open to the opportunity to return to the C's this summer.
Before finalizing the agreement with Denver, Thomas had reached out to Boston GM Danny Ainge. They talked for 15 to 20 minutes, Thomas says, and he told Ainge: "If the opportunity is there, I would just like to let you know that I'd love to come back."
Ainge says his mind was open to the idea, but the Celtics needed to work through Marcus Smart's restricted-free-agency discussions before they could consider making an offer to Thomas. Ainge was willing to continue the conversation, but Thomas accepted the Nuggets' offer before Boston had reached its new deal with Smart.
"S---, I'd have gone back," Thomas says. "I don't hold grudges."
Thomas wouldn't have been a fit in Boston, given their depth at guard with Kyrie Irving and Terry Rozier, and his talk with Ainge speaks to the lack of options that he had on the open market this summer. Thomas was a wreck with the Cavaliers when he returned to action last January, and he admitted to Wojnarowski that he returned too early and should have waited until after the All-Star break. The Cavaliers sent Thomas to the Los Angeles Lakers as part of their trade deadline fire sale, where Thomas played 17 games before shutting things down in late March after undergoing another arthroscopic procedure.
Thomas played in just 32 games overall last season and averaged 15.2 points on just 37 percent shooting, so he had to settle for a one-year, "prove it to me" deal for the veteran's minimum ($2 million) with the Nuggets.
"I understand it, but I don't accept it," Thomas told Wojnarowski. "So many other people get injured and get chance after chance again. They get the big break. They get the big money -- no matter if they're injured. There's a lot of people out there who've gotten serious injuries and gotten paid still. In my circumstance, it was bad timing. You've never seen a little guy like me get paid big dollars. Never seen it in the NBA.
"People know that I've earned and deserved the max contract, and that's the only reason why I didn't get paid what I deserved. Because I got injured. I get that. The biggest thing for me was to get to the best opportunity for me this summer and show that I'm healthy," he added.
And though he was open to donning a Boston jersey once again, Thomas still does place some blame on the Celtics for his current situation.
"If I didn't play in the playoffs, I'd be OK," Thomas said. "I'd be getting paid. I'd be who I am -- who I was. But you couldn't tell me in that moment in time -- with everything I was going through -- that, OK, I should just sit out. I don't think Boston went about it the right way, as well," said Thomas. "But at the same time, it was hard for me to sit out. I just lost my sister, one of the closest people in my life. Basketball was the only thing that was going to help me out. I played until I literally couldn't play anymore. And that was not a good business decision if I was looking in the long term, but I was looking in the 'right now.' That's just what it was.
"They probably would've traded me anyway. But I would've been in position to show my worth, and last year I was never in position to show my worth," he said.
Now a healthy and motivated Thomas will try to show his worth off the bench in Denver.
