With COVID-19 protocols hitting the NBA at a record high, the league is trying to do its part to possibly expand the rosters. One veteran who is itching at a chance to return to the league is guard Isaiah Thomas.
Thomas has struggled to find any sort of success in the NBA since that hip injury dismantled his stellar run during the 2017 postseason with the Boston Celtics.
He was then sent to Cleveland and spent time with the Los Angeles Lakers, Denver Nuggets, and Washington Wizards over the course of the past few seasons.
However, it seems that Thomas has been talking with multiple teams on a potential comeback to the NBA.
Thomas said he is discussing a return to the league with multiple teams and that he has hired Bernie Lee of Quartexx Basketball to represent him, per Chris Haynes of Yahoo.
It would be great to see IT back in the league, so let's take a look at his five best landing spots.
5. Cleveland Cavaliers
A reunion with the Cavs might be fun, no?
Cleveland has suffered a plethora of injuries lately, as starting guards Darius Garland and Collin Sexton have been out for a while. They recently signed Yogi Ferrell to a 10- contract, and on Friday night they started Isaac Okoro and Damyean Dotson at the guard positions.
While the status of Garland and Sexton isn't certain, adding a scorer and shooter like Isaiah Thomas off the bench could benefit J.B. Bickerstaff's team. The Cavs are currently in a position for a play-in game for the Eastern Conference playoffs, and the additions of Jarrett Allen and Taurean Prince will certainly help their case.
The Cavs might be a perfect chance for Thomas to showcase his skills once again.
4. Boston Celtics
Another former team for Thomas.
The Boston Celtics have a three-headed monster with Brown, Tatum, and Smart, but their bench lacks scoring- and that's an understatement.
The Celtics are one of the favorites to come out of the East, but as we see every year, bench scoring is huge especially come playoff time.
Isaiah Thomas can certainly help Brad Stevens' team, and a reunion in Boston would be a huge boost for the fanbase as well.
3. Golden State Warriors
Stephen Curry is doing the majority of the work for the Warriors, and yet Steve Kerr's team is hanging around early on in the 2020-2021 NBA season.
The injury to Klay Thompson was devastating, while Kelly Oubre Jr. and Andrew Wiggins have gotten off to a slow start. Draymond Green is finally turning into the Draymond of old, and number 2 overall pick James Wiseman is still getting his legs back under him.
The Warriors bench is in need of some help, as the entire second unit combined for 20 points in Thursday night's loss to the Denver Nuggets. Despite all that, the Warriors are at 6-6 and can fight for a playoff spot- or at least a shot at the play-in tournament.
The addition of Isaiah Thomas to this bench would be a breath of fresh air for Kerr and company.
2. Houston Rockets
With Houston sending superstar James Harden to Brooklyn, they're certainly heading in a different direction.
While the Rockets might not be the most competitive team this season, Thomas could offer some bench production. In Houston's first game without Harden they beat the Spurs 109-105. They were also without Eric Gordon and John Wall.
Isaiah Thomas could potentially fill in with some impactful minutes, and with some big injuries in the West, the Rockets could possibly battle for a spot in the play-game tournament.
The Rockets like to space the floor and shoot the three-ball, and Thomas shot 41 percent in 40 games with the Wizards last season before being traded.
1. Brooklyn Nets
At this point, is there a free agent the Nets couldn't benefit from?
They traded away a bunch to get James Harden, and are now left trying to sort out and fill out the remaining roster spots. The loss of Spencer Dinwiddie to a torn ACL was devastating, and now with Caris LeVert heading out as part of the Harden deal, the Nets bench desperately needs a scorer.
Steve Nash's bench currently consists of Chris Chiozza, Reggie Perry, Landry Shamet, and Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot. Adding a guy like IT would be extremely beneficial, and his shooting ability alone could pay big dividends to this squad that has championship aspirations.
This Nets team is going to score a lot of points each night, and Isaiah Thomas can easily fill in at either guard spot if Harden or Irving have to miss time for various reasons.
The veteran point guard garnered some social media buzz after playing in a pickup game in a pair of Miami Heat shorts but ultimately said that he “collects game shorts”.
While Thomas's height has always been an issue for teams- he stands at 5-foot-9- his ability to shoot the ball has never been a problem. In a league that is more about pace and shooting than it ever was, perhaps the writing is on the wall for an NBA deal for Thomas.
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