Isaiah Thomas on Trade to Lakers: Cavaliers Were in 'Panic Mode'
In an interview with ESPN's E:60 that will air March 11, Lakers guard Isaiah Thomas said he did not expect the Cavaliers to trade him so quickly into his tenure with the team, but understands how the team's losing affected the decision.
"I didn't think they would pull the trigger that fast, 15 games," Thomas told ESPN. "But again, it's a business. And the Cavs were, I mean, they were in panic mode. We were losing—a lot. And I think they felt like they needed to make a move, and they, they basically cleared house."
In Thomas' 15 games in Cleveland, the team went 7-8. He averaged 14.7 points and 4.5 assists while shooting 36.1 percent from the field. This was a major drop-off from last season when he averaged 28.9 points and 5.9 assists while making 46.3 percent of his shots.
Thomas, who missed most of the season as he recovered from a hip injury, added that with him trying to get acclimated to the team in the middle of the season and the amount of new players on the roster, it was going to take time for the Cavaliers to figure it out.
"People don't put in there that we had eight or nine new players," Thomas told ESPN. "So it was basically a brand new team. ... I'm in a new system. New team, new coach, new players. And then I've been off for seven months. So I got to get—individually, I got to for the most part get my rhythm back, get my timing back."
Thomas also told ESPN that he hopes to stay with the Lakers long term. Thomas, 29, is in his seventh season in the NBA with his fifth team and is a free agent at the end of the season.
