According to Shams Charania of ESPN, former Boston Celtics star Isaiah Thomas is signing with Salt Lake City Stars, the G League affiliate of the Utah Jazz. Thomas, who is now 35 years old, is still hoping to make it back to the NBA. He last appeared with the Phoenix Suns, initially on a 10-day contract before signing a deal for the remainder of the season.
Thomas is most well-known for his days in Boston. He was first traded to the Celtics in February of 2015 before emerging as an All-Star and MVP candidate. However, after just two-and-a-half years with the club, he was traded again. This time, to the Cleveland Cavaliers in exchange for Kyrie Irving.
Since then, Thomas has been trying to find even ground.
Isaiah Thomas signing with Salt Lake City Stars in G League
The point guard only spent half a season with the Cavaliers before getting traded to the Los Angeles Lakers. From then on, he’s been bouncing around from team to team, having played for eight different organizations since departing from Boston.
Now, Thomas will be taking his talents to the G League in hopes of earning another deal with an NBA team. This isn’t Thomas’ first time suiting up in the G League, though.
His first stint came during the 2021-22 season, when he played for the Grand Rapids Gold, the Denver Nuggets’ affiliate. He only played three games there, as he earned a string of 10-day contracts that season with the Lakers, Dallas Mavericks, and Charlotte Hornets.
Thomas also played in the G League last season before getting signed by the Suns. He was with the Stars, so this will be his second time playing in Salt Lake City.
In his four games with the Stars last season, Thomas was an absolute monster. He averaged 32.5 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 5.2 assists while shooting 40.7% from the field and 44.6% from deep on 14.0 three-point attempts per game.
Whether or not a team will take a chance on Thomas this year is yet to be seen, but it’s fairly clear that his three-point stroke is still very much intact. The issue is, at just 5-foot-9, Thomas will never be able to be a truly effective piece of an elite defensive system.
The Celtics have one roster spot open, but at this point, after all these years of not bringing him back, that dream that many Celtics fans have likely won’t be coming true.