Where the top 10 NBA free agents of 2018 are headed

#8 Isaiah Thomas - Los Angeles Lakers

Isaiah in action for the Los Angeles Lakers

If only Isaiah had opted for hip surgery this offseason! If only he'd become a free agent last summer instead of this one! If only he'd had enough practice time with the Cavaliers in his cameo there!

If any of these what-ifs had had a different answer, Isaiah Thomas would be much closer to the top 4 on this list right now. In fact, during the nightmarish spell he endured with the Cavaliers, many experts wrote him off as a one-season wonder for the Celtics, when he finished 5th in MVP voting and led them to the top seed in the Eastern Conference.

As things stand, the best alternative for Isaiah this offseason would be to sign another one-year deal with the Lakers this summer and continue in his role as a volume scorer/playmaker off the bench for a young squad which sorely needs veteran presence and a scoring punch off the bench next season.

He's not going to land a max contract playing at this level, while the Los Angeles Lakers would be looking to nab one of the top free agents slated to become available in 2019. Signing a one-year deal and continuing with the Lakers allows Isaiah to reestablish himself as one of the best point guards in the league, and last one big payday - a payday he richly deserves based off his body of work in the league so far.