6 reasons Danny Ainge actually does owe Isaiah Thomas

Thomas played through his sister’s death and badly damaged his hip. But the Celtics’ GM says he doesn’t owe IT anything.

Celtics general manager Danny Ainge doesn’t think Isaiah Thomas deserved any preferential treatment after leading Boston to its deepest playoff run since the Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett era.

"I don't know what we owe him," Ainge said in an interview on WEEI on Tuesday. "We gave him an opportunity while he was here."

Ainge traded Thomas and a bevy of other players and draft picks to the Cavaliers for Kyrie Irving this summer, a deal that echoed throughout the conference as the biggest trade in a hectic offseason. But for Boston’s GM to insinuate he doesn’t owe the All-Star guard anything is ludicrous.

Here’s why:

• Isaiah Thomas averaged 28.9 points per game last season. The last time the NBA saw someone 6’0” or shorter have such an incredible offensive season was a fella in Philadelphia named Allen Iverson, who owns more ankles than most others in basketball history. He’s also a Hall of Famer.
• He did it while on a team-friendly four-year, $27 million contract that paid him just under $6.6 million during the 2016-17 NBA season. Only Karl-Anthony Towns averaged 25 or more points per game while making less money than Thomas last season, and Towns is still on his rookie scale contract that paid $5.9 million.
• Thomas was the biggest recruiter of Gordon Hayward and Al Horford. Without him, the Celtics might not have the legitimate Big 3 in Boston that they do now.
• He played the day after his sister died in a car crash. Thomas’s sister, Chyna, passed away the day before Game 1 of Boston’s first-round playoff series against Chicago. He still scored 33 points on 55 percent shooting and eventually dragged the Celtics out of a series they were on the brink of losing.
• He lost his damn front tooth. Thomas got his tooth accidentally knocked out during a vicious second-round battle against the Wizards. He turned around and drilled back-to-back three-pointers.
• He could lose money in the long run. Thomas suffered a hip injury during the regular season then aggravated that injury in Boston’s Eastern Conference Finals matchup against the Cavaliers. If he doesn’t return to 100 percent this season, he may never get the huge payday he deserves after balling out in Boston last year.

Ainge may have made a gutsy move by dealing Thomas for Irving, and that trade could very well pay dividends down the line. But for him to say he doesn’t know what he owes IT is almost negligence — just look at your team.