One of the biggest losers from trade deadline day earlier this week on Thursday was Isaiah Thomas, as he was involved in one of the three trades which the Cleveland Cavaliers made on the day.

Thomas' time with the Cavaliers ended after just 15 games after he was traded by the team alongside Channing Frye and a 2018 first-round draft pick to the Los Angeles Lakers in exchange for Jordan Clarkson and Larry Nance Jr.

Many believe this is a bad trade for the point guard as he would be coming off the bench quite a lot since Lonzo Ball starts in his position. Yet, in his debut for the Lakers on Saturday, he performed well.

Coming off the bench, Thomas scored 22 points with one rebound, six assists, one steal, and was 7-of-12 from the field in the Lakers' 130-123 defeat to the Dallas Mavericks at the American Airlines Center.

Speaking after the game, Thomas said to ESPN that he was surprised Cleveland decided to trade him away, but at the same time, he's glad he gets to have a fresh start in Los Angeles and be part of such a young and promising team.

He said on the trade: "I was shocked. It was a surprise, but at the same time, I am happy to have a new start, I am happy to be here with the Lakers, happy to be with a young team that is exciting, that likes to get up and down. That's my style of play. I am here to help in any way possible. It's a fresh start for me. I am excited.

"It kind of reminds me of the same situation when I got traded to Boston. It was a young team that was thinking rebuild, but we had some different thoughts than that, and we made a push to the playoffs. That is my job: to come to this team and bring that spirit, that fire, that killer's mentality and just understand that we can take advantage of this opportunity that we have [the rest of] the season. It's about winning, and it is about winning right now."

The Lakers are unlikely to re-sign Thomas this summer, so he must impress when the opportunities present themselves on the court in order to get a good deal with a new team for next season.

He'll have a chance to continue his good form for the Lakers in three days time when the team plays in New Orleans against the Pelicans on Wednesday.