A former top NBA backcourt talent is reportedly on the comeback trail.
Two-time All-Star guard Isaiah Thomas has signed a contract with the G League’s Salt Lake City Stars, according to a Tuesday afternoon report from Shams Charania of The Athletic.
Thomas, 35, has not played in the NBA since a 14-point outing for the Charlotte Hornets in a 124–108 win over the Washington Wizards on April 10, 2022.
The Hornets were the third team Thomas suited up for in ’22, marking a stunning fall from where he was five years prior.
In 2017 with the Boston Celtics, the 5’9” Thomas briefly became one of the best players in the NBA. He averaged 28.9 points per game and finished fifth in MVP voting, memorably scoring 53 points in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference semifinals against the Washington Wizards. His season, however, ended with a catastrophic hip injury.
In pursuit of NBA return for stretch run, 11-year veteran Isaiah Thomas is joining the Utah Jazz’s G League affiliate Salt Lake City Stars, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium. The two-time All-Star could be another guard option in marketplace.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) March 5, 2024
A decorated collegian at Washington, Thomas was drafted by (and found a degree of success with) the Sacramento Kings. A series of trades landed him with the Celtics, who flipped him to the Cleveland Cavaliers for guard Kyrie Irving in 2017.
After 15 lackluster games, the Cavaliers sent Thomas to the Los Angeles Lakers at the deadline in 2018—and he hasn’t played more than 40 games in an NBA season since.