It’s time to consider trading Thomas

The Cavaliers CLEVELAND — should seriously consider trading Isaiah Thomas. He has little value on the court for the Cavs. There still seems to be something wrong with his hip. He has trouble jumping and finishing layups near the rim. His jump shots bang off the front of the rim, another sign that his legs (and hip) aren’t strong.

And he’s not improving. He’s played 13 games since returning from his major hip injury (torn labrum). He went nearly seven months without playing full-court basketball. The Cavs hoped Thomas could “play himself into shape.” But the more he plays, the more he struggles.

Heading into Tuesday’s game in Orlando, Thomas was averaging 15.2 points. He’s shooting 36 percent from the field, 24 percent on 3-pointers.

But in his last five games, it’s 32 percent from the field. He is 4-of-26 (15 percent) on 3-pointers. This is painful to watch. His teammates have been discouraged watching him force up so many poor shots — and they wonder why he’s receiving so much playing time.

Thomas has said a few times that one of the Cavs therapists said he should have waited until April to come back. Looks like that person was right. He suffered the torn labrum last March and played with it until late in the postseason.

This is not to write off the career of the 28-yearold Thomas. But it is to say it’s doubtful he’ll be much help this season. In fact, he is a detriment because coach Tyronn Lue keeps starting him and playing him. He has major problems blending in with LeBron James and other Cavs right now. The reason is obvious. He’s shooting a lot and missing a lot. He is the only Cavs player taking a shot every 2.0 minutes — that’s a high rate of putting up shots.

It’s possible Thomas comes back strong next season. He’ll have a summer to rest and strengthen the hip. If Thomas were on a long-term contract with the Cavs, it could make more sense to keep him.

But he has one season and $6.5 million left on his contract with the Cavs. He will be a free agent July 1. This type of contract is very valuable in a deal. It’s known as an “expiring contract” and can help a team with salary cap problems.

Thomas was part of the Kyrie Irving deal with the Boston Celtics. The hope was he would be healthy by midseason and deliver some of the scoring and energy that he did a year ago for Boston. Thomas was an AllStar and a 29-point scorer for Boston. But this Isaiah is not the same guy after the hip injury.

The Cavs can’t worry how it will look if they include Thomas in a trade — even if his value to another team is simply an expiring contract. They need to change the chemistry and improve the defense. Subtracting Thomas would help in those areas. Not entirely fix it, but help.