The Golden State Warriors are turning over another stone in their quest to fill the final vacant spot on their roster, this time giving a workout for a former Boston Celtics All-Star.
Jorge Sierra and Michael Scotto of HoopsHype reported that the Warriors are planning to hold a workout for Isaiah Thomas, the latest point guard to get an audition for the second unit. Though he doesn’t have much NBA experience over the last year, Thomas flashed some of his play-making ability this summer and could potentially serve as a backup to Steph Curry next season.
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Thomas Explodes in Summer Competition
The 31-year-old Thomas appeared in just three games last season with the New Orleans Pelicans, scoring 7.7 points per game. Just a season before, he was a regular for the Washington Wizards, starting in 37 games and scoring 12.2 points per game. His best season came with the Boston Celtics in the 2016-17 season, with Thomas averaging 28.9 points per game and earning an All-Star nod.
Though he hasn’t had as much NBA experience over the last year, Thomas showed that he can still be an effective scorer by dropping 81 points in “The Crawsover,” a Pro-Am league run by former NBA guard Jamal Crawford.
ISAIAH THOMAS DROPPED 81 POINTS IN A PRO-AM GAME 😱
(via @ballislife, @thecrawsover)
As Darren Hartwell of NBC Sports Boston noted, there had already been some interest in Thomas around the league but also questions about whether he still has an NBA-caliber game.
“The Celtics were reported to have interest in signing Thomas this offseason, and C’s fans may point to Sunday’s showing as evidence he can still contribute,” Hartwell reported. “But while there are some legitimate players in this Pro-Am league, it’s a far cry from NBA competition — especially on the defensive end.”
It’s not clear if Thomas can return that level. He suffered a major hip injury with the Celtics in 2017 and has been hampered ever since. Thomas later criticized the Celtics, saying in an appearance on the All The Smoke podcast with Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson that the team wasn’t fully honest about the extent of his injury.
“The only thing that I think they handled wrong was not explaining to me what the extent of my injury could be if I do play,” Thomas said. “That was the biggest thing for me that I disliked. ‘Cause nobody gave me no insight, ‘OK, you do play, this can happen.'”
Warriors Looking Over Options
Golden State has been looking at a number of players who can fill the 15th roster spot. Anthony Slater of The Athletic reported that the team planned to work out free-agent point guard Ryan Arcidiacono, who appeared in 44 games for the Chicago Bulls last season, averaging only 3.1 points per game but hitting on 37.3% of his three-pointers.
The Warriors reportedly are working out free-agent point guard Ryan Arcidiacono this week
Thomas isn’t the only out-of-the-NBA point guard to get a look from the Warriors. The team also took held a workout for veteran Darren Collison, who has not played in the NBA since the conclusion of the 2018-19 season.
It’s likely that no one wins the competition for the final roster spot just yet. Slater noted on Twitter that Warriors general manager Bob Myers will keep the final spot open in order to hold a competition in training camp.
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Warriors Looking at Former Celtics All-Star to Fill Final Roster Spot