Isaiah Thomas was stunned when the Celtics decided to the deal him to the Cavaliers as part of a trade for Kyrie Irving last summer. After everything he did for the city during his time in Boston, Thomas couldn’t believe the Celtics parted ways with him, and at one point, he said he might never talk to Celtics general manager Danny Ainge again because of the way the trade went down.
Since then, Thomas—who was subsequently dealt from the Cavaliers to the Lakers at the NBA trade deadline—has seemingly made peace with Ainge. In early January, Thomas said he and Ainge were "good" again. But is he "good" enough with Ainge to potentially consider coming back to Boston this summer when he becomes a free agent?
The idea of Thomas playing with the Celtics again sounds kind of crazy. But on Sunday night, Thomas held a Q&A with his fans on Twitter.
During the Q&A, one fan asked Thomas if he would consider returning to Boston this summer as a free agent.
After all that went down at the end of Thomas’ time in Boston, you would think the answer would be a resounding "no." But Thomas suggested he wouldn’t necessarily be against playing for the Celtics for a second time. While he stopped short of saying "yes," Thomas provided a vague response to the fan that insinuated he wouldn’t 100 percent rule anything out at this time.
Despite what Thomas said on the social media site, it seems unlikely he’d return to Boston this summer. Outside of the hard feelings both sides experienced last summer, Thomas would likely have to agree to a one-year contract worth much less than he could get elsewhere to sign with the Celtics.
But at this point, it’s unclear what kind of money Thomas is going to command on the open market when he becomes a free agent because of the way he's played this season. So could he conceivably sign a one-year deal with the Celtics to show what he can do for a season before signing a bigger deal in the summer of 2019, while at the same time exacting some revenge on the Cavaliers for trading him away this season?
As Thomas said, anything is possible.
