Lakers: Isaiah Thomas will never be re-signed because of Julius Randle

It does not matter how well Isaiah Thomas plays while on the Los Angeles Lakers; the team will ultimately let him walk in free agency regardless.

Isaiah Thomas has surprised a lot of people since being traded to the Los Angeles Lakers, including me. While I loved the move due to the contract space it freed up, I never expected Isaiah Thomas to have a massive impact.

That injured hip still seemed to be bothering Thomas in Cleveland which, in turn, affected Thomas’ performance. Thomas obviously rushed himself back into action to prove that he is the max superstar he values himself as. That same explosiveness and athleticism that made Thomas who he was in Boston was not there in Cleveland.

Mix in the reports of lockerroom tension in Cleveland and it was safe to assume that adding Thomas was not going to have a huge impact on 2017. However, with $61 million in practical cap space and the Cavaliers first-round pick, the move was huge for the summer of 2018 that we have all been waiting for.

However, Thomas has had a good impact on this young Lakers team and has coexisted with Lonzo Ball, something I deemed never even conceivable. Thomas is averaging 16.4 points and 5.1 assists on 39 percent shooting in a reserve role. He is putting up these numbers despite averaging just 25 minutes per game.

With this strong production has caused an increased support of Thomas staying in LA after this season. This was something that was completely outlawed by every Lakers’ fan. Now, it seems to be a reasonable reality.

However, Thomas already has one foot out the door and will leave the bright lights of LA even with his strong performances. Here’s why, broken down into a few key points.