NBA Rumors: Isaiah Thomas out for the season; future remains murky

NBA Rumors: With news that Isaiah Thomas will have surgery on his hip, we explore what the next few months could look like for the former MVP candidate

It’s amazing how quickly things and circumstances can change in the NBA. Just ask Isaiah Thomas.

Just a year ago, Thomas was living the NBA high life. He was the NBA’s third-leading scorer (28.9 PPG) and was in the conversation for NBA MVP voting. He wasn’t going to win the award, but he was being thrown in the same sentences as the likes of Russell Westbrook, who ended up winning the award, and James Harden.

He finished 5th in the official voting.

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On top of all that, he was set to score big during the summer of 2018, when he would be a free agent. After with the crazy year that he was enjoying in 2016-17, a max contract seemed all but certain. So much so that he even told reporters that he’s a max contract guy.

At that point, there was no argument.

But since then, he’s been everything but that.

To make a long story short, he was shut down in the playoffs with a hip injury, the same one that would keep him out of action until the middle of this season. During his rehab, the Celtics traded him (and the Brooklyn Nets 2018 first-round pick) to the Cleveland Cavaliers in exchange for Kyrie Irving.

With the Cavs, Thomas looked nothing like the scoring machine that was destined for a max contract. He was barely playable. He averaged 15 points per game on a putrid 36 percent shooting from the field. If it was even possible, he was worse on the defensive end.

On trade deadline day, he was moved to the Los Angeles Lakers for Jordan Clarkson. With the Lakers, Thomas embraced a 6th man role and averaged 16 points and five assists on a slightly better 38 percent from the field.

Better, but still not the Isaiah Thomas of old.

Now, he’s officially out for the season as he undergoes arthroscopic hip surgery. Sad.

"[via ESPN]The Lakers announced that Thomas, 29, will undergo a scope on the problematic hip Thursday in New York and is expected to have an extended rehabilitation process."

Now, Thomas will have to enter free agency as a gamble, instead of a max player.

There’s no $100 million contract anymore. He’d actually be lucky if any team offers him more than a “one-year, it’s worth a shot” contract.

So what will the next few months for Isaiah Thomas look like? Well, that’s hard to gauge. It will be a lot of rehabilitation with not much guaranteed.

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There won’t be teams lining up to call him at 12:01 a.m. when free agency opens. No meetings set up as many probably thought would happen just one year ago. And, most importantly, there will be no fallback option.

The future is murky, to say the least, for Isaiah Thomas.

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