Brad Stevens comments on possible Isaiah Thomas return to Boston Celtics
Boston Celtics President of Basketball Operations Brad Stevens commented today on the idea of Isaiah Thomas returning to the franchise he became an MVP candidate with.
He just…didn’t say much.
Without committing to a decision on whether the Cs would welcome back the ‘King of the Fourth’ one way or another, Stevens kept it ambiguous enough to wonder what exactly his next move would be.
Check out his answer to the age-old IT question on the Toucher and Rich radio show this morning:
Brad Stevens on @toucherandrich asked about possibility of adding Isaiah Thomas: “I’m a huge Isaiah fan, always have been … Our roster situation is complicated enough that we’ve got to get through the next month.”
— Chris Forsberg (@ChrisForsberg_) January 13, 2022
Noted Isaiah was on other 10-days when C’s roster was depleted.
There’s two different takeaways that immediately stand out.
One, Stevens gushed about Thomas. Which, to be quite honest, he should after Thomas kickstarted an era of upward mobility for the franchise that hasn’t ended even with the team sitting at .500 right now.
Thomas’ arrival sparked three seasons of postseason play with the five-foot-nine messiah, but even in his absence, the Cs have made the postseason every year since. This season is the first in which the postseason doesn’t seem like a guarantee despite all of the maneuvering Stevens did this past offseason to make the team competitive in an improved Eastern Conference.
The second thing the Houdini noticed was the ‘complicated roster situation’ comment Stevens made. It’s unclear what he’s hinting at exactly, but it’s clear that the team needs an extra big and a true pass-first point guard, and there’s plenty of talent on the wing the team could use in trade talks.
Either way, it’s clear that the Boston Celtics front office is still not completely sold on Thomas returning and being anything close to what he once was. If we were in charge, we’d trust one of the most beloved players in recent memory to contribute in a different way than his first stint, but in a still meaningful way.