Isaiah Thomas has not been afraid to tell the Celtics what he considers his worth to be, including his now-famous Brinks trucks references. Thomas wants a max contract and he expects to receive one when his contract expires next summer.
At a recent basketball clinic, Thomas reiterated his worth to the Celtics and considers himself on par with the best in the world.
"Very confident," he said Saturday during his annual basketball clinic at BU, where he hosted more than 400 campers. "I deserve it. I put the work in, and you can put me down against any guard in the NBA. ... My numbers are up there with the best players in the world, and my team is winning. So, I mean, you have to reward that."
Thomas has reason to be confident. When the Celtics traded for him there was no way they expected him to turn into one of the NBA's best scoring guards. But he has averaged 24.7 points in two-plus seasons (28.9 ppg last season) since joining the Celtics, and led them to a one seed in the Eastern Conference in 2016-17. He has been a driving force in bringing Boston back to relevance and wants to be rewarded for it.
While there is some risk in giving Thomas the max -- he's 28 and would be in his 30s at the end of the deal -- Boston likely would be hard-pressed to deny him a max deal.
