The Cleveland Cavaliers have stalled in accepting the Isaiah Thomas trade over concerns about his hip, leading some to wonder whether the guard is damaged goods. Thomas says that he is not damaged.
Thomas spoke with ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski and talked about his hip.
“I am not damaged,” Thomas told ESPN on Tuesday. “I’ll be back, and I’ll be the same player.”
Thomas is entering the final season of his current contract and looking for a major deal after that. That’s a big motivator for why he is trying to insist that he is healthy.
“There’s never been an indication that I wouldn’t be back, and there’s never been an indication that this is something messing up my career,” Thomas told ESPN. “Maybe I am not going to be back as soon this season as everyone wants me to be, but I’m going to be back, and I’m going to be the same player again. No doctor has told me anything different than that.”
Thomas tore the labrum in his hip in March. He kept playing despite the injury but re-aggravated it during the Eastern Conference finals, causing him to miss half of that series. He did not undergo offseason surgery, instead opting for rest.
The Celtics have insisted they were forthcoming with the Cavs about Thomas’ condition during trade talks. But beginning on Friday night, reports said the Cavs were considering going back on the trade after Thomas’ physical. Now it sounds like some more compensation stands in the way of the deal being completed. Perhaps Boston will end up sending a low first-round pick or second-round pick to Cleveland along with Thomas, the Brooklyn first-round pick, Jae Crowder and Ante Zizic to complete the deal.
