A couple things about Thomas.
He has been pulled for defense off and on since he got here. Of late, Brown has been his replacement.
The Boston Celtics are "built around" Thomas as of now. The offense is designed to exploit his outstanding production and this partially explains his killer numbers.
There isn't anyone who plays harder than Thomas, I feel he has in fact, carried this team this year. There aren't many NBA starters who can "carry" their team, Thomas is one of them.
If the Celtics didn't have Thomas? They would have another competent PG, but, not with his stats.
In today's NBA, not only is it challenging to get a top player from another team, it is also difficult to get value for one of your own top players.
In fantasy sports you can swap players and make deals, with the CBA it is trickier than ever.
Does Ainge think that IT at a max + Horford at a max with a third max will get a banner?
Good debate. For Ainge, IT's Brinks truck might be the only option as another GM maybe unlikely to change his team's structure and tactics to fully realize IT's value.