All the Celtics had to give up in exchange for Isaiah Thomas was Marcus Thornton and a late 2016 first round draft pick. Since Thornton’s contract expired this summer, he went on to sign a one-year deal with the Rockets for the veteran’s minimum. So, essentially all the Celtics had to surrender in return for their best player was a late first-rounder and fringe-NBA player.
Even more mind-boggling is how Thomas agreed to a front-loaded, 4 year/$27 million contract last summer. In an NBA landscape where role players have begun receiving $15+ million/year deals, the Celtics have Thomas at $6.