This has been a summer of reunions for the Los Angeles Lakers as they have brought back familiar faces such as Dwight Howard, Trevor Ariza, Kent Bazemore and Wayne Ellington.
They also completed a blockbuster trade for Russell Westbrook and signed Carmelo Anthony, two stars that they have seemingly been linked to for many years.
It appears they may not be done bringing back their former players though as NBA insider Marc Stein reported on his Substack that they are talking about potentially signing Isaiah Thomas in free agency:
Los Angeles Lakers still have a few roster spots open and have weighed using one of them to sign former All-Star guard Isaiah Thomas, league sources say.
The addition of Thomas is far from assured, sources stressed, but the Lakers are looking for additional backcourt punch as well as wing depth as they decide how to supplement the 12 veteran players they have under contract.
Perhaps no one has lost more due to injury in recent years than Thomas as he went from being an All-Star and MVP candidate in line for a max contract to being out of the league completely.
After scoring 81 points in a recent pro-am game, Thomas got emotional about being out of the league and the work he is putting in to get back to where he was, via NBA Central:
Isaiah Thomas scored 81 points and got emotional about the league giving up on him ????
(h/t @crossedsportsig) pic.twitter.com/lFIk0i3kEx
— NBA Central (@TheNBACentral) August 11, 2021
LeBron James, who is a former teammate of Thomas’ in Cleveland, took to social media to show some support, which may be another sign that the guard could be an option for L.A.:
Yessir Killa!! Keep going my G! #TMC???? https://t.co/iYxIMjNE3D
— LeBron James (@KingJames) August 11, 2021
According to Stein, the Lakers are not holding Thomas’ rough stint with James on the Cavaliers that led to his trade to the Lakers against him:
Although the Lakers have already traded for Russell Westbrook, and then signed Carmelo Anthony and Dwight Howard to join LeBron James and Anthony Davis in a locker room teeming with current and former All-Stars, sources say that the Lakers do not regard Thomas’ bumpy stint alongside James in Cleveland during the first half of the 2017-18 season as a deterrent. The larger question is whether Thomas is the best candidate for an end-of-the-roster role.
As things currently stand, the Lakers have three open spots remaining to fill out the roster. While a reunion with Thomas may be a good story, they would probably be better served finding bigger wing players that can defend as they already have players like Kendrick Nunn and Malik Monk to fill the scoring guard role that Thomas would.
It’s possible the Lakers give Thomas a contract for training camp though, giving him an opportunity to come in and prove that he is healthy and can still play at an NBA level.
Schroder signs with Celtics
One other team that has been linked to Thomas this summer is the Boston Celtics, who he starred for before getting injured.
The Celtics appear to have gone another direction to fill out their guard rotation though, signing former Lakers point guard Dennis Schroder to a one-year contract.
Have you subscribed to our YouTube channel? It’s the best way to watch player interviews, exclusive coverage from events, participate in live shows, and more!
