Post From Former Laker Could Provide Clue To His Hoops Future

Or are we making mountains out of molehills?

Two-time Los Angeles Lakers point guard Isaiah Thomas has been absent from the NBA beat for an entire season. The 5'9" vet out of the University of Washington, 34, has never really recovered fully from a debilitating hip injury incurred during the Boston Celtics' 2017 playoff run to the Eastern Conference Finals.

That 2016-17 season marked Thomas' pinnacle. In addition to making his second straight All-Star team with Boston, he was an All-NBA First Teamer and a legit MVP candidate, while averaging 28.9 points on .463/.379/.909 shooting splits, 5.9 assists, 2.7 rebounds and 0.9 steals a night. He did all this while leading Boston to a 53-29 record and the No. 1 overall seed in the East, before the club ultimately fell to LeBron James' Cleveland Cavaliers in the Conference Finals.

James and Thomas would soon become teammates twice over. First, they joined forces for a portion of the very next season on Cleveland, with Thomas a key part of the Cavs' Kyrie Irving trade package. Thomas was clearly diminished, and with his offense no longer nearly as impactful, his glaring issues defensively became that much more uncomfortable for his Cleveland, plus the rest of his post-Boston clubs. Thomas finished out the year with a lottery-bound Lakers club, with whom he averaged 15.6 points on .383/.327/.921 shooting splits, 5.0 assists, and 2.1 boards.

He hopped around, from the Denver Nuggets to the Washigton Wizards to the New Orleans Pelicans, from 2018-21, but was never the same. In a 2021-22 season heavy with COVID-19 absences, Thomas linked back up with James and LA on a 10-day hardship exception contract, but failed to net a second deal with the club that year. In four games for the Lakers during this second stint, Thomas averaged 9.3 points on .308/.227/.727 shooting splits, 2.0 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 0.5 blocks per.

He next played for the Dallas Mavericks and closed out the season with the Charlotte Hornets. Though he seemed to connect with Charlotte, the team ultimately went in a different direction with its backup point guard spot behind LaMelo Ball the next season, leaving Thomas a man without a home.

Now, Thomas has taken to social media with a cryptic missive that some fans are taking as perhaps a hint about his next job.

🇨🇳

— Isaiah Thomas (@isaiahthomas) September 16, 2023

He posted an image of the Chinese flag, which many could speculate might mean he's contemplating a move overseas, to join the Chinese Basketball Association. The CBA has proven itself be a great post-NBA resource for players who don't quite feel that their playing days are over yet. Stephon Marbury, Jeremy Lin, Carlos Boozer, and Jimmer Fredette number among just a few of the notable names who've enjoyed major second acts in that league.

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