If it were up to Isaiah Thomas, he would be with the Boston Celtics for a long, long time. But the final decision rests with management.
Thomas once again proclaimed his love for the city of Boston during exit interviews Friday. The two-time All-Star is under contract for next season, and could receive a contract extension this summer, but his future is for general manager Danny Ainge to decide.
"Yeah, I been said that. Boston changed my career, changed my life," Thomas said. "I would love to be here long term and win championships here."
"But as you guys know, it's a business and anything can happen. I know that, and I understand that, but I would love to be here. This has been everything to me. This city, this organization ... it's been good."
Boston landed Thomas in a lopsided deadline deal in 2015. Ainge got Thomas on the cheap because he was a career backup that bounced between wayward franchises. But the diminutive guard quickly became a star in Boston as his arrival coincided with three playoff appearances.
Thomas eventually grew to be the face of the franchise as he poured in a transcendent season. He averaged 28.9 points, led the Celtics to the best record in the East, and guided them to the Eastern Conference finals before bowing out with a hip injury. He was named to the All-NBA Second Team for his efforts.
All of Thomas' accomplishments haven't precluded him from trade rumors. His defensive shortcomings, and the Celtics taking a game off the Cleveland Cavaliers without him, spawned discussions as to whether the Celtics would be better off without their leading scorer. Boston also owns the No. 1 pick and will likely select star point guard prospect Markelle Fultz.
Nevertheless, trading Thomas would be an impossibly difficult move beyond his immense popularity. His is an absolute bargain at $6 million next season - making it almost impossible to receive equivalent value - and the Celtics will use him to pitch prospective free agents this summer, just as they did with Al Horford and Kevin Durant last year.