Getty Isaiah Thomas #4, formerly of the Boston Celtics
Former Boston Celtics all-star Isaiah Thomas has remained a free agent since spending the 2022-23 season with the Los Angeles Lakers, Dallas Mavericks, and Charlotte Hornets last season. Having remained unsigned, Thomas went into detail about what he believes is a fallacy about his basketball skills in an interview with Ball Don’t Stop: his defense.
Despite his short height for an NBA player, Thomas claims that he’s never been one that’s been taken advantage of on the defensive end of the floor.
“That’s just the negatives of being 5’9. Nobody blows by me. All they do is shoot over me. My whole career, if anybody were to ever ask a coach or a teammate on my team, I’m pretty sure they would never say I’m a liability. Nobody has taken advantage of me in my career… Everything that has to do with basketball is not a small person’s game. Well, they say it’s not, so the ‘defensive liability’ is more frustrating than anything,” Thomas said.
Thomas Targeted by Taiwanese Teams
Marc Stein reported on November 14 that Taiwanese teams may target NBA free agents after signing Dwight Howard and that Thomas, along with ex-Celtic Enes Kanter Freedom, are among the targets.
“Keep an eye on Taiwan as an emerging option for NBA players looking to continue (or revive) their careers in Asia. Dwight Howard stunningly signed earlier this month for a reported seven figures with the Taoyuan Leopards, and with two relatively new leagues in Taiwan, other teams there will inevitably try to counter with their own marquee signings as an alternative for players who don’t want to play in China. Enes Freedom and Isaiah Thomas, I’m told, are targets for Taiwanese clubs.”
During his interview with Ball Don’t Stop, Thomas explained why he has no desire to play overseas.
“Not right now. Everybody hits me, ‘Why don’t you go overseas?’ I got kids. I’m not in position right now that I want to do that. My ultimate goal is to play in the NBA. My ultimate goal has always been to play in the NBA.”
Thomas then said what would happen if he went to play professional basketball overseas.
“If I go overseas, my NBA career is done,” Thomas said. “Overseas is amazing. You get paid well. There’s great players overseas, but if I choose to go overseas, my NBA career is done. I’m not at that point right now. I want five more years in the NBA. I want to play 16 years in the NBA. To be the smallest guy to play for that long.”
Thomas and Marcus Smart Reunite in Viral Video
On November 10, Cameron Tabatabaie shared a video of Thomas and Marcus Smart in which the two former teammates embraced one another, which went viral.
☘️☘️☘️☘️☘️☘️
Thomas and Smart played two and a half seasons together with the Celtics from 2015 to 2017, and they made the playoffs every season they played together. The two had playoff success in their third playoff appearance together as teammates, as they made it all the way to the Eastern Conference Finals in 2017.
They haven’t been NBA teammates in five years, but it’s clear that all these years later, the two still share a special bond.