CLEVELAND, OH - JANUARY 20: Isaiah Thomas #3 of the Cleveland Cavaliers and LeBron James #23 of the Cleveland Cavaliers walk up the court during the game against the Oklahoma City Thunder at Quicken Loans Arena on January 20, 2018 in Cleveland, Ohio. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Kirk Irwin/Getty Images)Kirk Irwin/Getty Images

Isaiah Thomas' Agent After Lakers Trade from Cavaliers: 'It's LeBron's Ball'

Adam WellsFeb 8, 2018

Isaiah Thomas' agent, Aaron Goodwin, has offered an explanation for why the experiment with Thomas and LeBron James never worked for the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Per Joe Vardon of Cleveland.com, Goodwin noted LeBron James controls the ball in Cleveland and Thomas is a ball-dominant player.

"He's worked too hard to get back, and he's a ball dominant player," Goodwin said. "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."

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Per The Ringer's Kevin O'Connor, the Cavs traded Thomas and a 2018 first-round pick to the Los Angeles Lakers for Jordan Clarkson and Larry Nance Jr.

Thomas has fallen hard since finishing fifth in NBA MVP voting last season with the Boston Celtics.

A two-time All-Star with the Celtics, Thomas was traded to Cleveland in August as part of the Kyrie Irving deal, but he didn't make his 2017-18 debut until Jan. 2 after recovering from a hip injury.

Thomas is averaging 14.7 points per game and shooting 36.1 percent in 15 games since returning.

The Cavaliers were 7-8 with Thomas in the lineup and allowed an average of 118.6 points per game.