Boston Celtics: 3 free agent replacements for current underwhelming bench players

Isaiah Thomas

Speaking of familiar presences……

We have brought up the idea of the Boston Celtics reuniting with their once prized point guard Isaiah Thomas on multiple occasions throughout this season and have received comments from our readers — we love you guys — that find this idea to be nonsensical.

We still can’t understand why you see this as a “dumb” idea, as some have referred to it as.

Prior to being traded to the Los Angeles Clippers at the NBA Trade Deadline, and then subsequently released, Isaiah Thomas was having quite a solid season playing for the Washington Wizards.

Through 40 games the point guard was putting up averages of 12.2 points and 3.7 assists on 41 percent shooting from both the field and beyond the 3-point line.

At the least, he proved he is still capable of producing at a solid rate for a team. At best, he proved he could still step in and fill the role of starting point guard if need be (started 37 games with Washington). With the injury woes that Boston has gone through this season, having a player who can produce in a reserve role as well as in a starters role if need be would be an invaluable asset to have.

Potential replacement for: Brad Wanamaker

Let me just get straight to it: the Houdini has never been big on Brad Wanamaker. With a limited game and a lack of speed/ versatility the 30 year old sophomore guard has not proven capable of 1) leading an offense (something a point guard should know how to do) and 2) fill in for a starting spot and succeed in the process.

With Kemba Walker being sidelined for all but three games since coming back from All-Star weekend, Wanamaker has produced to the tune of 6.3 points and just 1.7 assists per game on 42 percent shooting from the field and 31 percent shooting from deep.

The offense looks completely different (not in a good way) when Wanamaker is in at point, as they look lost and completely out of sync. The second year player has a hard time creating his own shot and, arguably more important, creating for others.

Because of this, replacing him with the likes of Isaiah Thomas (18.1 points and five assists for his career) would be a fantastic move for this Boston Celtics team as they gear up for another deep postseason run.

IT would easily be an upgrade over Wanamaker, and would be a great offensive asset to have coming off the pine for the team, as they currently rank 29th in the league in points per game (27.4).

There are so many reasons why this reunion makes sense: Thomas has proven to thrive in a Brad Stevens offense, was, and still is, a favorite within the Celtics fanbase, he would improve the offensive production of the second unit significantly, etc.

At the end of the day, however, Isaiah Thomas has reportedly stated that he would be open to a Boston Celtics reunion. The team made a lousy move by getting rid of him in the first place, especially after all he did for them. Now, with his market value so low, Danny Ainge would truly be foolish to not consider signing him to a minimum contract.

As seen in these slides, there are a few guys that are disposable currently residing on the Celtics’ roster. If they were going to realistically add anyone on the open market, they should strongly consider Isaiah Thomas.