The Cavs are hopeful Isaiah Thomas will make his return to NBA action in early January. You can bet the talented point guard will do everything in his power to be on the floor when the Cavs face the Celtics in Boston on Jan. 3.
Thomas was extremely emotional after the Celtics sent him to the Cavs as part of a trade package for Kyrie Irving this past summer. He even went so far as to say he may never speak to Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge again. When you see how the process went down, it's not hard to understand why.
MORE: Thomas on trade to Cavs: 'It hurt a lot . . . it still hurts'
The latest episode of the ongoing documentary series called "Book of Isaiah 2" by The Players' Tribune shows Thomas finding out he had been sent to Cleveland in the blockbuster deal. Thomas had just returned home from an anniversary celebration in Miami with his wife, Kayla, when he got the call from Ainge explaining the move.
"[Ainge] saying what I've done for the city and what I meant to him and all that bulls—," Thomas said. "What are you talkin' about? My kids about to start school. Off the strength, after everything I went through, n—. No, you're not supposed to do that . . . I'd be mad if I went to a weak-ass team. It's like, we gonna win the Finals anyway. Like that's what's crazy, but it's just like, damn, after all I do for — the city gonna be mad as f—."
The conversation left Thomas stunned. He formed a strong bond with the city of Boston, particularly during the Celtics' 2017 playoff run when he played through a hip injury and the death of his sister, Chyna. It's clear this trade felt personal for Thomas.
"You learn in this game, in this business, there's no loyalty," Thomas said. "You're going to meet people. You're going to build relationships with people. But there's no loyalty. They're going to do what's best for them, and you've got to do what's best for you. I knew that going in, and I understand that, but how it went down, it was like, damn."
You can watch the full episode below. (The portion covering how Thomas reacted to the trade news begins at the 6:50 mark.)
