Twitter Erupts over Cavs, Lakers Blockbuster Trade Involving Isaiah Thomas, More

Seeking ways to turn around a frustrating and inconsistent season, the Cleveland Cavaliers pulled off a blockbuster deal ahead of Thursday's NBA trade deadline, sending guard Isaiah Thomas and forward Channing Frye to the Los Angeles Lakers for guard Jordan Clarkson and forward Larry Nance Jr., according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.

Kevin O'Connor also reported the deal and added that Cleveland will also send its first-round pick to L.A.

Considering the sharp fall from grace for Thomas from All-Star to getting traded twice in a matter of months, there was no shortage of reaction to the deal on Twitter.

ESPN's Royce Young detailed how quickly things have changed for Thomas since last season:

The Ringer's Shea Serrano made mention of how Thomas is in a completely different position compared to his status last season:

Despite playing like an elite offensive player at times in his career, Thomas has struggled to stick with one team, as pointed out by NBA TV's Tas Melas:

ESPN's Brian Windhorst explained the deal from Cleveland's perspective and expressed his belief that the Cavs are going all in on the notion of retaining LeBron James in free agency:

ESPN's Zach Lowe broke down the significant drop in value Thomas experienced:

Frank Isola of the New York Daily News suggested LeBron may have had something to do with IT's quick exit from Cleveland:

Sports Illustrated also played up the idea that LeBron wasn't the biggest Thomas fan with the following GIF:

Thomas' defensive issues were undoubtedly part of the problem in Cleveland, and Jeremy Woo of Sports Illustrated joked that James may be less inclined to sign anywhere Thomas' shoddy defense emanates from:

Michael Lee of Yahoo Sports tweeted a photo of the Cavs' celebration after beating the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday, which fittingly showed Thomas on the outside looking in:

Thomas is known for being somewhat outspoken, which prompted Mike Hayes of BuzzFeed to marvel at the idea of both IT and LaVar Ball addressing the media in Los Angeles:

Lakers President of Basketball Operations Magic Johnson has history with former Detroit Pistons guard Isiah Thomas, and Tom Fornelli of CBS Sports pointed out the irony of Johnson's acquiring his namesake:

Thomas has been on an emotional journey dating back to last year's NBA playoffs. He missed the last three games of the Eastern Conference Finals while playing with the Boston Celtics due to a hip injury.

After Thomas led the Celtics to the best record in the Eastern Conference last season, they sent him to Cleveland in August as part of the package for Kyrie Irving. He was still recovering from hip problems, which delayed his season debut to Jan. 2.

After returning to the court, Thomas struggled to find his shot. The two-time All-Star shot 36.1 percent and averaged 14.7 points in 15 games with the Cavs.

While they lead the Central Division by one game, the Cavaliers have gone from Dr. Jekyll to Mr. Hyde so often this season that it can cause whiplash trying to keep up.

They started the year 5-7 before winning 18 of 19 games, but they followed that by losing nine of their next 12 games, including consecutive defeats by a combined 62 points against the Timberwolves and Toronto Raptors.

The Cavaliers are fighting against time, looking to maximize their window as long as LeBron James is still playing like an MVP-caliber star. They started this season with the NBA's oldest roster with an average age of 30.3 years.

James can opt out of his contract after this season, and the Cavs need to put their best foot forward to ensure they can remain a legitimate championship contender to keep their superstar happy.

Thomas, who will be a free agent this summer, is still working his way back into form after a prolonged absence. Getting a fresh start with the Lakers will allow him to piece things back together as he pursues a long-term contract.