Isaiah Thomas was candid in why he thinks the Cavaliers traded him and several others before the trade deadline Feb. 8, essentially dumping half their roster.

In an interview with ESPN's E:60, which will air March 11, Thomas said the team went into "panic mode" because of how poorly they were performing.

"I didn't think they would pull the trigger that fast, 15 games," Thomas said. "But again, it's a business. And the Cavs were, I mean, they were in panic mode. We were losing — a lot. And I think they felt like they needed to make a move, and they, they basically cleared house."

Thomas barely got a chance to play with the Cavaliers — he was traded to Cleveland from the Celtics in August, but was still rehabbing a hip injury. He was finally ready to go in January, but then was sent to the Lakers earlier this month along with Channing Frye in exchange for Jordan Clarkson and Larry Nance Jr.

"It was a tough situation I was being put in," Thomas said. "It was — it was different. ... It's hard to get acclimated to a team halfway through the season.

"People don't put in there that we had eight or nine new players. So it was basically a brand-new team. ... I'm in a new system. New team, new coach, new players. And then I've been off for seven months. So I got to get — individually, I got to for the most part get my rhythm back, get my timing back."

In those 15 games Thomas was with the Cavs, the team went 7-8. Thomas also struggled on the court, averaging 14.7 points per game. He averaged a career-high 28.9 ppg last season in Boston

Despite the abrupt end to his tenure in Cleveland, Thomas says he doesn't hold a grudge against the Cavaliers and is looking forward to continuing his career in Los Angeles.

"I've been in this situation before when I got traded to Boston," Thomas said, "a team right outside the playoffs, a team that was young, really didn't know how to win. And I just brought a different swagger to that organization. And we took it and ran with it."