What do you do when you trade away one point guard and the one that remains proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that he can handle the starting job?
If you're the Sacramento Kings, you make him available on the trade market.
At least, that's what ESPN's Marc Stein is reporting the Kings have done with breakout star Isaiah Thomas. Stein reports that the Kings have been adamant that they will not move rookie two-guard Ben McLemore but that Thomas, who is averaging career-highs across the board, is available.
This probably sounds odd, considering the season Thomas is having at age 24. He's averaging 20.2 points and 6.3 assists, posting a robust player efficiency rating of 21 and an above-average 56.8 true shooting percentage. Thomas is one of just six players in the league averaging 20 points and six dime, and three of those names were All-Stars.
| 20 Pts, 6 Ast | PPG | APG | PER | Win Shares |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| LeBron James | 26.5 | 6.6 | 29 | 10.3 |
| Steph Curry | 24.6 | 9 | 23.9 | 8.8 |
| Goran Dragic | 20.3 | 6.2 | 22.8 | 7.1 |
| Isaiah Thomas | 20.2 | 6.3 | 21 | 5.9 |
| Kyrie Irving | 21.5 | 6.2 | 20.4 | 4.6 |
| Russell Westbrook | 21.3 | 7 | 21.6 | 2.4 |
That kind of performance makes Thomas an enormous value, as he is earning just $884,293 this season.
What's the issue, then?
Well, the Kings project to be very close to the luxury tax for 2014-15 if Rudy Gay picks up his $19.3 million player option, and Thomas will be a restricted free agent this summer.
A second round pick in 2011, (the last pick in the draft, actually), Thomas wasn't subject to the rookie scale contracts first round picks normally sign. The Kings signed him to a very team-friendly deal, but as a result Thomas is a free agent earlier than he would be otherwise.
If the Kings are looking at the market and expecting to be priced out of matching a Thomas offer-sheet, trading him at the peak of his value makes some theoretical sense.
Selling your fanbase on a sell-high of a 24-year-old breakout performer is another matter, however.
