3 free agent point guards who could return to the Cavs

3 free agent point guards who could return to the Cavs: Isaiah Thomas

When Kyrie Irving jumped ship from the Cavs in 2017, part of the return from the Boston Celtics was their All-Star point guard Isaiah Thomas. The problem was that Boston seemed open to moving on from Thomas because of a hip injury that continued to plague Thomas throughout his tenure in Cleveland, a tenure that did not go well given the Finals-or-bust mentality the team had in LeBron James’ final season.

A reunion could be in order now, with much lower stakes. Thomas has battled to find his way back into the league, and carved out a nice bench role with the Charlotte Hornets down the stretch of this season. He shot 39.7 percent from deep on a robust 9.5 attempts per 36 minutes, giving him a sharp 55.7 percent true-shooting percentage. He played limited minutes, but any team bringing him in would do so expecting a limited role.

The Cavs could add Thomas as a low-expectation third point guard, a veteran voice if the team decides to address the position in the draft. He could also be an option if they bring back Rubio, manning the fort for a few months until Rubio is back on his feet. Thomas will surely be available at the minimum, a low-cost option with plenty of scoring punch.

Ultimately the Cavs probably want to find a more reliable option as Garland’s immediate backup, and a young player as the third guard, and one of those two needs to have size and defensive chops. At 5’9″ Thomas doesn’t fit that bill. He deserves props for getting his career back on track but a reunion isn’t particularly likely. Even so, it’s more likely than the final reunion we discuss in this piece.