Inside The Huskies

Isaiah Thomas Joins Mavericks, Ninth NBA Franchise

The former Husky guard is determined to find a place back in the league.

Dan Raley

Have shot, will travel.

Isaiah Thomas joined his ninth NBA franchise on Wednesday night after signing a 10-day contract with the Dallas Mavericks and was put to work right away in a last-second 95-94 loss to the Sacramento Kings on the road.

The former University of Washington guard played 13 minutes and scored 6 points on 3-for-8 shooting and dished out 4 assists.

However, on Thursday, Thomas went into COVID protocols and might not play again before his contract runs out. 

Thomas comes to the Kings after making his season debut with the Los Angeles Lakers, playing four games on another 10-day contract, with all of this necessitated by the recent spike in the COVID pandemic and the need for players. The Lakers, however, chose not to extend his agreement.

Isaiah Thomas has joined the Dallas Mavericks.
Isaiah Thomas played for Dallas on W :: Cary Edmondson/USA TODAY Sports

Once an NBA headliner, the 5-foot-9 player originally from Tacoma, Washington, has been trying hard to restore his pro basketball career following a pair of hip surgeries in recent years.

“I’m staying positive," he told ESPN's Jalen and Jacoby. "I’m doing everything I can control to showcase myself, to show I got no ego, I got no pride. I’ll play anywhere, as people know — I play at local YMCAs.” 

Thomas, 32, began his NBA career with Sacramento, the team he faced on Wednesday, followed by stops with the Phoenix Suns, the Boston Celtics, the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Denver Nuggets, the Washington Wizards, the New Orleans Pelicans, the Lakers and now the Mavericks.

In Dallas, the two-time NBA All-Star joins a roster that includes former Husky forward Marquese Chriss, another 10-day contract player. They were not teammates at the UW.

Isaiah Thomas drives against the Kings in Sacramento.
Isaiah Thomas played against Sacramento, his first NBA franchise.  :: Cary Edmondson/USA TODAY Sports

In four games with the Lakers, Thomas averaged 9.3 points, 2 rebounds and 1.5 assists per outing, averaging 25.2 minutes each game. Yet L.A. lost all four contests.

Over his 11-year NBA career, Thomas has scored 9,574 points in 533 games for an 18-point average.

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Dan Raley
DAN RALEY

Dan Raley has worked for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Atlanta Journal-Constitution and Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, as well as for MSN.com and Boeing, the latter as a global aerospace writer. His sportswriting career spans four decades and he's covered University of Washington football and basketball during much of that time. In a working capacity, he's been to the Super Bowl, the NBA Finals, the MLB playoffs, the Masters, the U.S. Open, the PGA Championship and countless Final Fours and bowl games.

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