Philadelphia 76ers need to consider signing Isaiah Thomas

The Philadelphia 76ers could sign a former MVP candidate this offseason.

It’s no secret that the Philadelphia 76ers are in desperate need of a shot-creating playmaker on the perimeter. The 2020 NBA Draft and trade market will be used to search for that need, but free agency is something that Sixers general manager Elton Brand can’t ignore. One player he should at least consider has been a free agent for some time now is Isaiah Thomas.

This isn’t the first time I wrote about Thomas being a free agent option for the 76ers. After the trade deadline and he was released by the Los Angeles Clippers after being traded by the Washington Wizards, he was included in the free agent article I wrote.

The reason why he’s being re-examined in this article is actually a result of a recent Twitter discussion between myself and my fellow Co-Site Expert Christopher Kline of The Sixer Sense. In our dialogue, Kline made the comment that Raul Neto would be a better option than the former MVP candidate.

Why Thomas makes sense.

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Clearly I don’t agree with Kline’s take as I believe that despite Thomas’ decline from his prime, he can still be a difference maker coming off the bench for a contender. On a bad team like the Wizards, Thomas still managed to be the starter for almost every game he played in.

Not only that but on The Sixer Sense Podcast, I’ve stated on multiple occasions that I believe Neto is third-string point guard. Whereas Thomas isn’t just a third-string point guard at this point in his career.

In Washington, he averaged 12.2 points and 3.7 assists, while making 40.8 percent of his field goals and 41.3 percent of his 3-pointers on 4.7 attempts per game. After multiple injuries, it’s unlikely that Thomas will ever regain his former All-Star form or be a starter for a good team, but he can transform himself into a spark plug off the bench.

The Sixers had Alec Burks fill that role this past season, but Philly probably won’t be able to retain Burks in free agency so going for a cheap option like Thomas is worth the flier. He can either be second on third point guard on the depth chart for the 76ers depending on what the team does in the draft and if they execute any trades.

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Thomas isn’t the player he once was, but he proved with the Wizards he can still contribute to a team, which should be enough for the Philadelphia 76ers to consider giving him a shot this offseason.