According to NBA celebrity Shams, Isaiah Thomas signed for the NBA Development League! He will participate in the G League Showcase (December 20-23, in Las Vegas). The tournament, commonly known as the Winter Showcase Cup, has eight games a day over the four days and is an important platform for NBA scouts to scout players.
Two weeks ago, Thomas Jr. stressed in an interview that his primary goal is still to return to the NBA: "My ultimate goal is to go back to the NBA, I love to play basketball!" But if the NBA doesn't, I have to look at options and opportunities overseas. In two months, Thomas Jr. will turn 33 and he will have to find a chance to play as soon as possible.
This offseason, Thomas Jr. tried out for the Lakers, Warriors and Mavericks, but didn't get a contract: "I almost signed with one of the teams, but it didn't happen. In early December, Thomas Jr. and the development league players formed the U.S. men's basketball team, playing in the World Cup qualifiers in the Americas.
The U.S. narrowly defeated Cuba 95-90 in the first game and lost to Mexico 88-97 in the second. Thomas Jr. had 21 points, three assists and 21 points and 10 assists, respectively, both of which were the top scorers on the U.S. team. In order to return to the NBA, he has really worked hard, looking for every opportunity to play to prove himself. But he couldn't even get a 10-day contract!
This summer, Thomas Jr. competed in TheCrawsOver in Seattle, scoring 81 points in a single game! Thomas Jr. tweeted the day before the game: "Miss you, bro, Kobe Bryant! The next day he paid tribute to Bryant with 81 points. After scoring 81 points, Thomas Jr. had mixed feelings, and he covered his face and cried: "They abandoned me!" ”
Thomas Jr. said: "I'm not trying to get people to sympathize with me. This is never the case! I'm just showing you what it's like to see things get back on track after you've given everything you love. The Lakers were once close to signing Thomas Jr. in the offseason, but Rondo was bought out by the Grizzlies, changing the Lakers' plans, and they decided to sign back to Rondo.
In September this year, European media reported that Thomas Jr. was close to reaching a franchise agreement with CSKA Moscow to replace the vacancy of Mike James's departure. Thomas Jr. responded: "I'm not going to play overseas!" "Three months on, no NBA team has given him a contract, even if it's a 10-day contract! Thomas Jr. decided to consider opportunities overseas.
In the 2016-17 season, Thomas Jr. averaged 28.9 points and 5.9 assists per game, ranking third in the regular season scoring list and fifth in the MVP chart. In the 2019-20 season, he played 40 regular-season games for the Wizards, averaging 12.2 points and 3.7 assists per game, shooting 40.8 percent from the field and 41.3 percent from three-point range. In February 2020, Thomas Jr. was sent to the Clippers by the Wizards and subsequently bought out.
For more than a year, Thomas Jr. had no ball to play. It wasn't until April 4, 2021, that the Pelicans gave him a short 10-day contract. Thomas Jr. played three games for the Pelicans, averaging just 7.7 points, 1.3 rebounds and 1.7 assists in 16 minutes per game, shooting 33 percent from the field and just 25 percent from three-point range.
After the 10-day contract expired, the Pelicans did not renew His contract with Thomas Jr., and he left the NBA again. When the 19-year-olds entered the NBA, thomas jr., 32, was struggling to get another chance. His height and defense were already short, and now the offense is not as good as before. Do you think Thomas Jr. can still return to the NBA?