No, not Isiah Thomas. Isaiah Thomas. The little Kings point guard with a big game.
You can tell silly season is under way as the Detroit Pistons have been linked to a player that seems at first blush to make zero sense for the team -- Isaiah Thomas. No, not Isiah Thomas. Isaiah Thomas.
The Pistons have reportedly laid out an offer for $8 million per year for three years, according to NBA writer Aaron Bruski. If that number sounds familiar it is because it happens to be the identical deal the Pistons signed Jennings to a season ago.
In the past week or so the Pistons have said they were focused on less flashy signings and were more focused on trying to find a bigger reserve point guard to back up Brandon Jennings. Thomas would not be a backup to Jennings and he is certainly not a large man. He is listed at 5-foot-9 and 185 pounds.
Still, Thomas is an electric scorer and budding playmaker. He is so small that defense is and will always be an issue, but when your incumbent is the defenseless Jennings I guess it's less of an issue.
So how does any of this make sense? For one, Thomas is a clear upgrade on Jennings, even if he isn't exactly a championship-caliber upgrade. Two, this is the Kings. And the Pistons have been associated with the Kings recently.
Heard things about Isaiah Thomas to the Pistons in a possible S/T, right around same time as Josh Smith speculation
— Vincent Goodwill (@vgoodwill) July 1, 2014It seems Goodwill is saying something here without really saying something here. But the logic is pretty easy to follow. When the Pistons and the Kings were in discussions over a Josh Smith trade, it was reportedly the Pistons who backed away.
The deal on the table was Smith for spare parts such as some combination of Jason Thompson, Carl Landry, Derrick Williams and Jason Terry.
The Kings then drafted Nik Stauskas, a perimeter shooter that seemed to overlap with previous draft pick Ben McLemore. Clearly something is brewing in Sactown.
So could this possible Thomas interest from the Pistons be part of a sign-and-trade deal with the Kings that sends some combination of Thomas and spare parts and maybe even McLemore to Detroit in exchange for Josh Smith and other assets? And what would those assets be? Could the Kings want to take on Jennings? It seems unlikely but any deal for Thomas only makes sense if Jennings isn't also in the picture. Would it also cost the Pistons Kyle Singer or a future pick?
Everything is crazy and nothing makes sense, therefore everything makes sense.
It's past midnight. Let the games begin.
If you want to talk about free agency in general, there's a thread for that. Detroit Bad Boys always has you covered.