Orlando Magic: 4 potential free agency targets in 2018
By Chris Murch
1. Isaiah Thomas
2017-18 Stats (With LAL): 15.8 PPG, 5.0 APG, 2.1 RPG
Speaking of roller coasters, Isaiah Thomas has been moving faster than Space Mountain in the last 12 months. His move from Boston to Cleveland to Los Angeles and now to the open free agent market has been astounding. After two straight All-Star seasons in Boston, Thomas got hit with the injury bug, a bad situation in Cleveland, an even worse situation in L.A. and is now team-less.
People will be quick to say that Isaiah is now over-the-hill, injury-prone and isn’t the same player he was in Boston. At 5’9″, he present problems when trying to defend other guards and has trouble finishing inside.
HOWEVER, this is still one of the best small guards in NBA history. This is also a player who just two seasons ago averaged 28.9 points and 5.9 assists per game on 46.3 percent shooting.
In Orlando, Thomas would have the opportunity to once again flash his scoring and playmaking potential. He would be on a team that was not too dissimilar to those Celtics teams where he was the No. 1 or No. 2 scoring option every time down the floor.
The ball would be in his hands a lot and with a young rim-running center like Bamba and a high-flying, good shooting forward in Aaron Gordon, Thomas would be a great fit. IT would also give the Magic a potential franchise point guard, something they haven’t had in years and should be coveting this offseason after missing out on Trae Young in the draft.
Obviously with Thomas you are getting a huge risk-reward situation. Can a team win with a 5’9″ point guard as its No. 1 or No. 2 scoring option? Has his hip fully recovered? Will he ever be even close to the player he once was?
Next: 2018 NBA free agency tracker: Grades for every deal so far
With the Los Angeles Lakers already having Lonzo Ball and bringing Rajon Rondo aboard, the Magic should be targeting Thomas heavily in the next few days. Also with IT, after the year he had, he not be in high demand or command the type of money he would normally want. The Magic could entice him with part of their MLE, or throw the full $8.6 million at him to really get his attention in a dry market.