Before being traded to the Los Angeles Lakers, Isaiah Thomas was a lifelong fan of the storied franchise. As many fans know, Thomas was named after Isiah Thomas when his father lost a bet to his friend during the 1989 NBA Finals between the Lakers and Detroit Pistons.

On ESPN's E:60, Thomas detailed how his father ‘brainwashed me into being a Lakers fan at a young age' with full warm-up gear in the third grade:

While Thomas felt the Cleveland Cavaliers were in ‘panic mode' when they traded him after just 15 games, playing for the Lakers must be a dream come true for Thomas. In 2014 when he became a restricted free agent, Thomas revealed he wanted to sign with Los Angeles, but they were waiting on LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony to make their decisions.

Four years later, Thomas is slowly recovering from a hip injury as he is sitting out the team's final two games of the road trip. In 17 games with Los Angeles, the 29-year-old is averaging 15.6 points (38.3 percent from the field and 32.7 percent from the three-point line) and 5.0 assists in 26.8 minutes.

Although the two-time All-Star still views himself as a starter in this league, head coach Luke Walton has given him opportunities to play major minutes and finish games. As he becomes a free agent again, it remains to be seen if Thomas has a future with the Lakers. It is no secret they want to sign two max contract players in James and Paul George, but if they strike out, Thomas could return on a one-year deal to preserve cap space for 2019 which features Kawhi Leonard, Klay Thompson, and Jimmy Butler.