Los Angeles Lakers: Playing buy or sell with 2018 free agents

Isaiah Thomas

The most accomplished of the Los Angeles Lakers’ free agents happens to be the biggest question mark moving forward. Isaiah Thomas, the other player sent to L.A. in the trade with the Cavs, is one of the most dynamic scorers in the NBA when healthy. But that’s the problem: He only played in 32 games last season with a right hip issue that forced him to miss the early part of the season and then ended his campaign prematurely in March.

Thomas is a ball-dominant scorer that has plenty of appeal leading a bench unit with shooting and defenders around him. There are real concerns, however, as to how a 29-year-old, 5’9” point guard that relies on his athleticism will age with severe hip issues, which is pretty heartbreaking for IT given he was aiming for a nine-figure contract extension before suffering these problems.

The Lakers don’t have many point guards on this roster, but given his recent injury struggles, defensive problems and ball dominance in a free-flowing offensive system, I don’t see IT coming back unless he shows extreme improvements in his movement this offseason.

Verdict: Let walk