You guys seem so convinced Thomas isn't going to age well, and I do agree. But Thomas has always been so good at throwing up floaters and his finishing is still going to at least be above or close to league average.
I would love to give him like 5-7 million less, like 16-18 if he was willing to take it, with a few years invested, but if he's solely looking for a max contract, then I'm going to say no thanks.
But then what? Odds are the Celtics will have no cap room to sign a replacement by the time he hits free agency. If the team has a top two record in the conference the next couple of seasons, you need to keep him. Even if it's a bit more than you'd like.
His contract ends in 2 years right? Sorry I'm at work at my graveyard shift, and our wifi seems to be really bad, so I can't look it up.
But we'll have two full fledged years to find a replacement, and I think DJax, Rozier, and Smart will be able to replace IT.
I would love to put IT in the same position as Manu Ginobli, a great sixth man that can score with the 1st and 2nd unit. I really do think that the height of IT, who is like what 5'8, 5'9? People regarded Iverson as a subpar defender, but at least he was almost the average height of a typical NBA PG. 6'1 versus 6'2 or 6'3.