I fear IT won't last long at this level

[Celtic Fan Forever]

I want to trade him. Now. Before he becomes an expiring contract.

Before he is due a big payday. IT is not someone I want to give a max contract to. Not sold on IT's value for money at a max contract + I, like the OP, am concerned about how well he'll hold up long term. That max contract will be a 4-5 year deal with 2 years left on his current deal. That is 6-7 years from now. Can IT maintain his performance that long?

I do not want to try trading IT as an expiring deal when his value is way down. Nor do I want to pay him when his contract is up. I think now is the best time to trade him.

As much as I love IT, I think I'm kinda with Who here. Realistically Isaiah is not a transcendent player and his value is definitely the highest it will ever be. If we can Al Jefferson him off for a true star, that might be our best bet.

[mr. dee]

I want to trade him. Now. Before he becomes an expiring contract.

Before he is due a big payday. IT is not someone I want to give a max contract to. Not sold on IT's value for money at a max contract + I, like the OP, am concerned about how well he'll hold up long term. That max contract will be a 4-5 year deal with 2 years left on his current deal. That is 6-7 years from now. Can IT maintain his performance that long?

I do not want to try trading IT as an expiring deal when his value is way down. Nor do I want to pay him when his contract is up. I think now is the best time to trade him.

As much as I love IT, I think I'm kinda with Who here. Realistically Isaiah is not a transcendent player and his value is definitely the highest it will ever be. If we can Al Jefferson him off for a true star, that might be our best bet.

Nobody think here that IT is a transcendent player. At best, he can be a Tony Paker on a championship level team and that I think Danny is aiming. He's not the main gear but rather part of the system. Remove that gear and we may reduce our chance to move on the next level.

[Future Celtics Owner]

TP for the thread and I am really relieved many feel the same way. IT and AB are at a disadvantage for the future because of height and length.

IT can always be traded, especially if there's a scenario in which DA can make the team much better by getting great value/max value out of players.

[slightly biased bias fan]

I want to trade him. Now. Before he becomes an expiring contract.

Before he is due a big payday. IT is not someone I want to give a max contract to. Not sold on IT's value for money at a max contract + I, like the OP, am concerned about how well he'll hold up long term. That max contract will be a 4-5 year deal with 2 years left on his current deal. That is 6-7 years from now. Can IT maintain his performance that long?

I do not want to try trading IT as an expiring deal when his value is way down. Nor do I want to pay him when his contract is up. I think now is the best time to trade him.

As much as I love IT, I think I'm kinda with Who here. Realistically Isaiah is not a transcendent player and his value is definitely the highest it will ever be. If we can Al Jefferson him off for a true star, that might be our best bet.

I am of the same opinion as you guys.

IT's game is predicated on speed and footwork, something he can not keep up the older he gets, especially given how small he is...guys like Muggsy and Nate Robinson have shown that small men don't age well. Muggsy averaged 11.1 in 94-95 and from then on he never averaged over 8.0 for the rest of his career.

[loco_91]

I'm afraid of it too, but we shouldn't trade him.

[slightly biased bias fan]

I'm afraid of it too, but we shouldn't trade him.

Given that Ainge made him as our lottery representative, I'm sure Danny wants him here for the foreseeable future, also I don't know what team we could trade IT to and get adequate value back anyway.

[GreenFaith1819]

IMO a dour thread.

I think that in some ways with our past injuries/tragedies we may shoot ourselves in the foot with such decisions or thoughts before really contemplating the results.

Isaiah Thomas is our anchor right now. He is our current Paul Pierce. As others have stated he won't win a banner for us alone or as the main cog but he will be a KEY piece.

Pierce needed KG/Ray (and a solid bench and Rajon and Perk rounding out as starters) to win a banner. If Danny can provide the same pieces for BOS around IT and whomever we'll have our best shot at another one again.

Chemistry is SO key....if we traded IT right now we'd have to start all over again....

I'm not saying it CANNOT be done. But who are we going to bring in here FRESH to keep this team moving forward instead of backwards? I don't see it myself. IMO we'd essentially be starting over...

Let's keep IT, continue to bring in talent, hopefully bring in another star or 2 and go from there. With everything IT's done for us in his short time here I'd give him a few more years.

[PhoSita]

I'm not in favor if trading away IT prematurely just because he's not likely to have too many great years past his current contract.  He is the main piece on the floor for this team right now.  As soon as they added him the team began to have something approaching an identity.

I do think it's important to keep in mind that our very best player is in some ways not nearly as "young" by career longevity standards as you might think given that he was part of the 2011 draft class. So, for example, when we think of the point guard position being figured out for the foreseeable future for draft purposes etc, consider that a player drafted this year will be finishing their rookie contract around the time that IT is likely to be close to done as a starting caliber player.

[Rosco917]

Because of his limitations on D, and his size, he's best being a 6th man. It will add years to his career. Just use him as a spark plug in spurts to push the pace.

[PaulP34]

That's why drafting Buddy Heild would be so valuable for this team in two years when IT hits the road on an expiring contract. Next years draft we get the best PF-SF in the game. Three years from now the Boston Celtics will be unstoppable if Ainge gives Brad the right tools.

[Vermont Green]

I'm afraid of it too, but we shouldn't trade him.

There is definitely no need to push to trade him right away.  If we get a good deal, I have no problem including IT to make a trade for a top level player.  I suspect he will be our starting PG to start next season though.

[Kane3387]

I'm not in favor if trading away IT prematurely just because he's not likely to have too many great years past his current contract.  He is the main piece on the floor for this team right now.  As soon as they added him the team began to have something approaching an identity.

I do think it's important to keep in mind that our very best player is in some ways not nearly as "young" by career longevity standards as you might think given that he was part of the 2011 draft class. So, for example, when we think of the point guard position being figured out for the foreseeable future for draft purposes etc, consider that a player drafted this year will be finishing their rookie contract around the time that IT is likely to be close to done as a starting caliber player.

Career longevity has as much to do with minutes as it does age. Steve Nash was an all star in his late thirties. He was a great player but he didn't play a ton of minutes early on in his career when he backed up Kidd.

Players are playing longer. Nutrition, Medicine, and training are all much more advanced and are only becoming more so. Pop also started a revolution where more and more coaches are resting players as they age and monitoring minutes.

Sports science is taking the mantle from analytics as the next frontier for gaining a competitive advantage.

There are a ton of differences in this era from others that promote the idea that IT will be productive for a while as long as he is responsible with his own maintenance and can avoid drastic injury. This is the case for any player.

[Csfan1984]

I wouldn't trade IT until I saw how FA played out and I still need a big offer.

[Celtics4ever]

His size makes him a vulnerable spot in the playoffs.  Other teams go at him, that being said he is our best player by a longshot.   We'd have to get a real asset back to trade him.

[Alleyoopster]

I am not worried about Isaiah lasting. I'm more concerned that he could get injured. This possibility leads me to consider making a case for taking Tyler Urlis at 23.

Here is my reasoning....when Isaiah got hurt last year (spring 2015) Phil Pressey came in and did a decent job for those few weeks. If I remember correctly, in about 40% of these games he played as well as Isaiah might have.

This year Avery got hurt and Terry was his replacement. He did an okay job....good, not great.

Before the March deadline I was praying Danny would pick up an insurance player in case someone got hurt. He didn't make any moves. Sure enough we were left unprepared as two players came down with injuries. (FWIW: I also felt Sully played injured for greater part of the last two months. He just didn't say anything for fear it would affect upcoming contract negotiations.)

In the future it's likely Isaiah will get hurt again. So, why not draft someone who could fill his role in a pinch. Tyler may be too much of a lightweight for extended periods of play, but could prove to be an invaluable asset who could ignite the team from time to time. (Comparatively speaking, one needs spark plugs to get an engine going.)

I know we have Terry, RJ and Young on the bench. But, none can run a team like Tyler can. I know the defensive match ups would be a worry. On the other hand, he did okay in college on the defensive end.

Do we have more pressing needs at 23? It's likely we do. Its just that I'm not sold we have a floor-general replacement for 2017 and beyond.