The Isaiah Thomas trade is not worth the criticism

Boston was the ideal situation for Isaiah

You couldn’t have designed a better environment for Isaiah to thrive than in Boston. The Celtics have multiple perimeter defenders to cover for Isaiah’s biggest weaknesses; the team’s front court players are all shooting threats which create ideal spacing for Isaiah to take advantage of; they were the very rare team that was competitive but had ZERO creators on offense; and Brad Stevens was dying for anybody that could take advantage of the spacing his offense created.  But most importantly Isaiah was traded to the Eastern Conference where being a competitive team makes you a conference finalist. All of these factors have significantly amplified Isaiah’s stature in the league.

Now imagine Isaiah had been traded to the Knicks instead. Derek Fisher would be directing him in the triangle; Isaiah and Jose Cauldron would have made the worst defensive back court in NBA history; and Carmelo would be fighting with Isaiah for control of the offense. Isaiah’s unearned reputation as a combative ball hog would have stayed with him while the team struggled to make the playoffs and instead of mourning his loss, Suns fans would occasionally release a sigh of relief that the mess the Knicks acquired, was no longer a focal point in Phoenix.