Gone are the days where Isaiah Thomas was one of the most feared scorers in the league. The man who was dubbed Mr.Fourth quarter is no longer the player he used to be where he averaged 20+ points a night and got the crowd riled up due to his electric scoring.
Ever since he was traded away from the Celtics to the Cavaliers, he has struggled to find his form and stay healthy. He has been apart of five teams over the past five seasons, appearing in only 160 games during that span. In the 2019-20 season, he started with the Wizards and was traded to the Clippers at the trade deadline, but the Clippers ended up releasing him, and he hasn't found a team since.
With the season set to resume at the end of July and with teams allowed to carry 17 players on their roster, IT may be able to find a team to play for and contribute to a playoff run.
This season with the Wizards, he appeared in 40 games starting all but three of them averaging 12.2 points, 1.7 rebounds, and 3.7 assists while slashing 40.8/41.3/81.6 with his three-point percentage of 41.3 percent being a career-high. While he hasn't been to the playoffs since the 2016-17 season with the Celtics, he is a clutch playoff performer as he's averaged 22.6 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 6.3 assists. Here are some teams that could benefit from Thomas for the rest of the season.
Toronto Raptors
The Raptors' core players have dealt with a slew of injuries, which include guards Kyle Lowry, Fred VanVleet, and Norman Powell.
While the hiatus allowed everyone to rest and get back up to speed, the return of basketball could cause injuries to some, especially the older players, as they haven't played competitive basketball in a while.
When it comes to the playoffs, Lowry hasn't always been the regular-season version of himself as over the past few seasons; Lowry has struggled to perform well in playoff games.
Powell also is a different player in the playoffs than he is in the regular season as he has a career average of just six points a game in his playoff career along with 1.9 rebounds and 0.9 assists.
Bringing in Thomas would provide the Raptors with an extra guard in case another injury to one of Lowry, Powell or VanVleet occur and can also be a reliable scoring option off the bench.
While IT is a liability on defense, which is against the value of Nick Nurse's Raptors, the Raptors have the second-best defense in the league so they can just put Thomas on the worst opposing offensive player on the floor. If Nurse can handle having Matt Thomas on the floor which is a defensive liability, he'll be able to handle having Thomas on the court as long as the two are not on the court together.
Boston Celtics
When Celtics GM Danny Ainge traded Thomas away, Thomas felt disrespected and said that he'd never talk to Ainge again or return to the Celtics. His stance has since changed, and there were rumors that the Celtics were going to sign him last offseason, but that ultimately didn't happen.
The Celtics could truly be the team to come out of the East, and they're deeper than they have been in past years, which gives them a better shot at reaching the finals, but perhaps, they could be even deeper with IT back in green and white. Boston is where Thomas had his glory days, and that was under head coach Brad Stevens who's still with the team. If Thomas can regain somewhere close to his old form where his best days were, then the Celtics are even better equipped to take down teams like the Bucks, Raptors, 76ers, and any other team they face.
Oklahoma City Thunder
The year 2020 has been full of surprises, and the Thunder one of the good teams in the sports world. No one expected the Thunder to contend, but they're currently entrenched in fifth place in the Western Conference.
A big reason why they've been such a good team is due to the strength of their backcourt of Chris Paul and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who are one of the best guard duos in the league.
When Paul and Gilgeous-Alexander are on the court, they can pair up with almost any backcourt in the league, but they can't play the full 48 minutes every game. They have Dennis Schroder, who may win the Sixth Man of the Year award but are thin at the guard position after those three. The Thunder may get defensive specialist Andre Roberson back, but he hasn't appeared in a game since the 2017-18 season.
With a playoff spot a sure lock, there's no harm in signing Thomas to don the blue and orange to provide the Thunder with extra guard depth and some scoring off the bench.
He'd also pair great with Steven Adams as pick-and-roll partners if they're ever on the court together, which would provide Thomas with open shots to score from.
Houston Rockets
When the Rockets traded Clint Capela away, it transitioned the team into playing small ball with 6'5 PF P.J. Tucker being positioned to defend bigs. By playing small ball, the Rockets at times have as many as four guards playing on the court at once in James Harden, Russell Westbrook, Austin Rivers, and Eric Gordon. This can cause fatigue for these four players, and the Rockets don't have a reliable guard on the bench. Thomas can be a bench player on the Rockets and have his minutes spread out by subbing in for Rivers and Gordon the majority of the game and also to provide more rest for Harden and Westbrook, especially in the games they play before the playoffs start.
Even if the Rockets are playing small ball, they may as well just add the 5'9 Thomas to the roster.
Indiana Pacers
The Pacers possess solid guards on their roster, but relying on all their guards to be healthy is a big ask. Malcolm Brogdon and Jeremy Lamb both missed time with injuries at some point during the season, and Victor Oladipo just came back from major surgery. When Oladipo was on the court, he looked rusty and far from the former dynamic player he once was. The time off may have actually hurt Oladipo more than help him as he will now have to start all over again to get back to full speed. As the Pacers also have other guards in Aaron Holiday and T.J. McConnell, if Thomas were to sign with the Pacers, he may not get much playing time.
Still, he can provide the Pacers insurance in case multiple guards go down with injuries.
Brooklyn Nets
The Nets currently hold the seventh seed in the Eastern Conference, but with Kyrie Irving unlikely to play, there's a chance the Nets could miss the playoffs. Thomas can keep the Nets afloat in a playoff spot on the offensive side of the ball by providing the Nets with some scoring. While he wouldn't start, he could be the Nets sixth or seventh man and would be a better option to have on the court than guys like Theo Pinson, Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot, and others.
Phoenix Suns
Other than Devin Booker and Ricky Rubio, the Suns are very weak at the guard positions. Coming off the bench to play guard is Ty Jerome or Jevon Carter, who are both averaging under five points a game.
Thomas would give the Suns much needed guard depth as well as a scoring threat off the bench which the Suns lack. Of all the teams mentioned, the Suns would probably be the best fit for Thomas as this is where he could get the most playing time and be relied on the most, which is something that he likes.