Isaiah Thomas was an All-Star and MVP candidate during the 2016-17 season as a member of the Boston Celtics. Then came the hip injury. Thomas' career hasn't been the same since, as he is still working his way back from the ailment that halted his meteoric rise to near the top of the NBA scoring charts.

After his acrimonious departure from Boston following his trade to the Cleveland Cavaliers, Thomas was looking for a place to play ahead of the 2018-19 campaign. In an interview with Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe, however, IT revealed that he reached out to Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge and floated the idea of a possible return.

“I know we left on bad terms with me being traded. I wanted them to know that the interest was there,” Thomas said.

“I didn’t know if they were interested, and I wasn’t saying I wanted to come back and be the guy. I was just saying if the opportunity presents itself, just know I’m interested. That’s all it was.”

Article Continues Below
More Boston Celtics News
boston celtics 2025 nba draft
Boston Celtics 2025 NBA Draft grades for every pickDaniel Donabedian ·
May 14, 2025; Chicago, Il, USA; Jase Richardson talks to the media during the 2025 NBA Draft Combine at Marriott Marquis Chicago.
Orlando Magic’s Jase Richardson headlines 5 biggest steals of 2025 NBA Draft Round 1Rishav Bhat ·
Celtics' Jayson Tatum watching Cooper Flagg shoot a basketball.
Celtics’ Jayson Tatum shares Cooper Flagg photo after NBA DraftAbdullah Imran ·
Boston Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens throws a behind the back pass to one of his players before their game against the Cleveland Cavaliers at TD Garden.
Celtics pull off trade with Magic amid second round of 2025 NBA draftRichard Pereira ·
Boston Celtics center Robert Williams III (44) and forward Grant Williams (12) react in the fourth quarter against the Miami Heat during game five of the Eastern Conference Finals for the 2023 NBA playoffs at TD Garden.
Celtics’ trade proposal for Robert Williams brings much-needed depthBailey Bassett ·
Jordan Tatum 3 3 Stars, Jordan Tatum, Jordan Tatum 3 release
Jordan Tatum 3 ‘3 Stars’ dropping soonDominik Zawartko ·

Isaiah Thomas eventually wound up inking a one-year deal with the Denver Nuggets, with whom he made his season debut on Feb. 13. He has appeared in just nine games off the bench for the club, playing sparingly and averaging just 8.6 points and 1.7 assists across 15.6 minutes per contest.

The combination of Denver's deep roster, along with his slow ease into returning to full speed action has capped his productivity in 2018-19, but he has shown flashes of the dynamic scorer he was just two seasons ago.

Thomas will hit free agency again this summer at the age of 30. He may not have found a way to make a deal work with Boston prior to this year, but the door, at least from his end, appears to be open.