Ainge reportedly said that Thomas' hip injury played "some role" and that he could miss some time at the start of the season.

Celtics GM Danny Ainge told reporters on a conference call that Isaiah Thomas' hip injury played a role in the decision to trade him and suggested that Thomas may miss some time at the start of the season, reports CSN New England's A. Sherrod Blakely.

“There’s probably a little bit of delay for Isaiah to start this year,” Ainge reportedly said in the call. ESPN's Jeff Goodman also reported that Celtics executives had "significant concern" about Thomas' health.

Thomas was traded to the Cavs along with Jae Crowder, Ante Zizic and the Nets' unprotected 2018 first-round pick in exchange for star point guard Kyrie Irving.

The 28-year-old point guard injured the hip back in March but reaggravated the injury against the Cavs in the Eastern Conference Finals, which caused him to miss three games in that series. Cleveland eliminated Boston in five games.

Boston believes that Thomas will make a full recovery even if he does miss a bit of time this season, and the Cavs do not believe the injury will affect Thomas even in the short term, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.

Thomas will not lack motivation this season, as he'll be a free agent next summer and has been vocal about wanting a maximum contract once he hits the free-agent market.