Cavaliers traded Isaiah Thomas one day after he said he was tired of being traded

Isaiah Thomas had just one message on the eve of the NBA’s Feb. 8 trade deadline: Don’t trade me, I want to be here.

“I don’t [want to be traded],” Thomas told reporters on Wednesday, according to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin.

“I’m tired of being traded. That’s not a good thing, but I just want to be where I’m wanted. I like it here. It hasn’t been as planned, but I definitely want to be here. We definitely have a real chance to win an NBA championship, and I want to be a part of that.”

His message fell on deaf ears. The Cleveland Cavaliers traded Thomas, Channing Frye, and their own 2018 first-round draft pick in exchange for combo guard Jordan Clarkson and versatile forward Larry Nance Jr. It was a shocking trade few saw coming until it broke the news waves.

The Cavaliers traded Kyrie Irving to the Celtics with the hope that Thomas would be the same 29-point-per-game scorer he was in Boston last season. They gave him months to recover from a hip injury he sustained with the Celtics, then a handful of games to get back into playing shape. But Thomas never got back to 100 percent.

Instead, Thomas struggled mightily to adjust to playing alongside LeBron James. In 15 games, he averaged 14.7 points on 36 percent shooting from the field and 25 percent shooting from downtown. He never connected with his teammates, reportedly leading the charge against Kevin Love in a team meeting, before publicly questioning the coaching staff’s ability to make in-game adjustments.

Thomas’s agent, Aaron Goodwin, admitted the fit in Cleveland never worked out.

“He’s worked too hard to get back, and he’s a ball dominant player,” said Thomas’ agent, Aaron Goodwin, according to Cleveland.com’s Joe Vardon. “It’s LeBron’s ball, and this clearly wasn’t working. Koby (Altman) and I have had enough conversations where it was clear, with the way the system was going, it wasn’t beneficial for either party. This is a good opportunity for Isaiah.”

Now, Thomas is in Los Angeles, where — as of now — he will have time to play himself back into shape. He becomes a free agent in July and will have the opportunity to sign with a new team.