What's Next for Isaiah Thomas?

Photo via Brace Hemmelgarn/USA TODAY Sports

The last few years for Isaiah Thomas have been pretty rocky. He was first traded from the Boston Celtics who he carried to the Eastern Conference Finals, and was 5th in MVP voting in 2016. On the Cavs he was out for the first 38 games of the season, and when he did come back he only played 15 games before being traded to the Lakers for Jordan Clarkson and Larry Nance. Everything has been crazy for Isaiah, but what is next for Isaiah Thomas?

The first thing we got to address is how Isaiah fits with the Lakers. Lonzo Ball is back, and Luke Walton is going to have to make a decision once Lonzo is back to full health.

Either Walton can run a lineup with Lonzo running point guard, and Isaiah starting at shooting guard. This could work, but Isaiah is a very ball dominant player and he is going to like having ball handling responsibilities. This could also be very bad for the Lakers as IT is not tall enough to cover shooting guards.

Or Walton can go with a completely different approach and have Isaiah playing with the second unit. This of course, Isaiah won't like, but this may be best for Lonzo and the Lakers.

The last option and probably the least likely option is that Luke Walton decides to play IT at point and bench Lonzo. Of course this is highly improbable, but you can't rule it out. These are all options that Walton has to think about, but he must also consider the future of the team.

The next issue for IT is his decision in the offseason. The Lakers this offseason are going for some big names and they need the cap room to acquire these players. Trading Larry Nance and Jordan Clarkson did clear a lot of cap room, but it is not enough. If they are going to go for players like Lebron James and Paul George, they are going to have to let their free agents walk.

Many non-contenders will be looking to add Isaiah Thomas to their teams for a low price to hopefully make them competitive once again. Teams like the Nets are just on the brink of being competitive and a player like IT may just be able to push them over the edge. Of course there are some risks that come along with IT, like whether he will ever be back in MVP form, or his defensive ability. Teams will have to take a risk on IT, but the rewards could be large. Whatever Isaiah does choose to do, the results are going to be interesting.

Obviously, Isaiah and the Lakers are going to have to do some thinking about their futures, but if Isaiah can become the player he was in Boston he may be able to take a non-competitive team over the edge, just like he did in Boston.