Celtics fans borrowed from "Game of Thrones" when they dubbed Isaiah Thomas the "King in the Fourth," so could the C's use a "Lord of the Rings" reference to bring about "The Return of the King" and bring I.T. back to Boston?
That's what former Celtic Kendrick Perkins thinks should happen.
Speaking to Heavy.com's Brandon Robinson on the "Heavy Live With Scoop B Show," Perkins explained why he wants to see 31-year-old return to the city where he earned back-to-back All-Star appearances in 2016 and 2017.
"I would love to see I.T. back in Boston," Perkins said. "And not knowing what’s happening with Kemba, it would be a great fit. And then, just think about what they have, right? The history of what he’s done for the Celtics organization. Yeah, he didn’t win a championship but he literally laid his body on the line for their organization. I understand a business move happened, but if I’m Danny Ainge, I’m going out there and I'm going to get I.T. because it’s adding more firepower to the bench.”
Hip issues have limited Thomas to just 84 games for four teams -- the Cavaliers, Lakers, Nuggets, and Wizards -- since being traded to Cleveland as part of the Kyrie Irving deal in August 2017, but he has his eyes set on a comeback after playing offseason pickup games with players like John Wall, Kevin Durant, and Irving.
"I was blowing by people. I haven’t blown by anybody since I had a Celtics uniform on," Thomas told the Boston Globe's Adam Himmelsbach. "When I was able to blow by MVP-caliber players, that told me my burst and power and speed are there. I really feel like I’m back."
But would Danny Ainge follow Perk's advice and re-sign Thomas? Though Kemba Walker's knee will delay the start of his season, the C's added Jeff Teague as a backup point guard this offseason and also drafted Peyton Pritchard, so the point guard position appears set... at least for now.
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However, if there's one thing Thomas can provide when he's feeling right, it's an offensive punch -- something the C's didn't have very much of off the bench last season.
Whether I.T. brings that spark to Boston or some other team remains to be seen.