Former Cavaliers Point Guard Isaiah Thomas Says Cleveland Was In ‘Panic Mode’ When They Traded Him This Month

Though he no longer is a member of the Cleveland Cavaliers, Los Angeles Lakers point guard Isaiah Thomas continues to talk about the rocky environment that developed for the Cavaliers. In the latest installment of Thomas’ qualms, the former MVP candidate spoke with ESPN’s E:60 in an episode to be released March 11th and talked about his short stint with Cleveland.

“I didn’t think they would pull the trigger that fast, 15 games,” Thomas told E:60 in the exclusive sit-down interview. “But again, it’s a business. And the Cavs were, I mean, they were in panic mode. We were losing — a lot. And I think they felt like they needed to make a move, and they, they basically cleared house.”

Thomas was nowhere near superb during the fifteen games he spent in Cleveland and the team suffered as a result of his play. The Cavs had a record of 7-8 with Thomas only putting up 14.7 points per game and just over four assists a game. It was not ideal on the court and IT’s continued nitpicking of teammates and the coaching staff did not sit well with general manager Koby Altman.

Thomas expounded upon his thoughts in further explanation.

“It was a tough situation I was being put in. It was — it was different. … It’s hard to get acclimated to a team halfway through the season. People don’t put in there that we had eight or nine new players. So it was basically a brand new team. … I’m in a new system. New team, new coach, new players. And then I’ve been off for seven months. So I got to get — individually, I got to for the most part get my rhythm back, get my timing back.”