Isaiah Thomas on Trade: 'I Don't Think the Celtics Got Better'
If you haven't already, definitely check out Isaiah Thomas' farewell to Boston on The Players Tribune. Thomas was really candid about the emotions that come with being traded, his time with the Celtics and a text he received from Tom Brady.
Thomas' also offered his thoughts on the basketball implications of the trade, which sent Thomas along with Jae Crowder, Ante Zizic, the Nets' 2018 first-round pick and a 2020 second-round pick to Cleveland in exchange for Kyrie Irving. From the piece:
Isaiah Thomas's Hip Wasn't the Key to the Cavs-Celtics Trade
"It’s not that I don’t understand it. Of course I get it: This is a business. Danny is a businessman, and he made a business move. I don’t agree with it, just personally, and I don’t think the Boston Celtics got better by making this trade. But that’s not my job. That’s Danny’s. And it’s a tough job, and he’s been really good at it. But at the end of the day, these deals just come down to one thing: business. So it’s no hard feelings on that end. I’m a grown man, and I know what I got into when I joined this league — and so far it’s been more blessings than curses. I’m not sitting here, writing this, because I feel I was wronged. I wasn’t wronged. It was Boston’s right to trade me."
Those are some strong words, but you can't really expect anything else from a competitor like Thomas. During his time in Boston, he earned his way into Boston fans' hearts with his fearless and relentless style of play, and you don't become an All-NBA performer at 5'9'' without a healthy fix of confidence.
Time will tell if Thomas or Ainge is correct, but Thomas has proved throughout this ordeal that he is a class act. I'd bet the house that he'll receive an impassioned standing ovation when he returns to the Boston Garden on Jan. 3.
