On January 9, Beijing time, according to the famous Mark Stein, the Dallas Mavericks decided not to renew his contract with Thomas Jr., and his 10-day contract will expire before the Mavericks play at home against the Bulls tomorrow. Thomas Jr. signed with the Lone Ranger and played only 1 game before being quarantined. In that game, he played 13 minutes and had 6 points and 4 assists, and the Lone Ranger lost 94-95 to the Kings.
The Lone Rangers are already the ninth NBA team Thomas Jr. has played for. Before joining the Lone Rangers, Thomas Jr. also signed a 10-day contract with the Lakers and played 4 games. In those four games, Thomas Jr. averaged 9.3 points, 2 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game, and his best game was against the Timberwolves, where he scored 19 points. The Lakers also decided not to renew Thomas Jr. after the 10-day contract expired.
After the Lone Ranger decided not to sign with Thomas Jr., there was also a new operation. They signed the Nets' veteran Pinson on a two-way contract. Pinson had previously signed two 10-day contracts with the Lone Ranger, and in the end, the Lone Ranger decided to give him a two-way contract. So far this season, he has played 10 games for the Lone Rangers, averaging 2.5 points, 1.6 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game, and in the first two seasons of his career, Pinson played for the Nets, playing 51 games, averaging 3.9 points, 1.8 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game.
Thomas Jr., 32, was once the league's All-Star point guard, averaging a career-high of 28.9 points per game in 2016-17, but a hip injury affected his career. Today's Thomas Jr. has had a hard time finding his place on an NBA team, and he hasn't really proven himself even by signing a 10-day contract.
As long as NBA teams need replacement players, Thomas Jr. will still be one of the options, but it is very difficult to stay on a team for a long time. Thomas Jr.'s offense has not been as sharp as before, and his defensive flaws still exist, coupled with the problem of age, which also makes NBA teams reluctant to sign him a long contract.