The Los Angeles Lakers announced Isaiah Thomas will undergo arthroscopic surgery to his right hip on Thursday. While more information will be provided upon completion of the procedure, it can safely be presumed Thomas will not play again this season.
Thomas missed the final two games on the Lakers’ road trip due to hip soreness, and he traveled to New York on Monday to meet with doctors and evaluate options.
His 2017-18 campaign was delayed due to a lengthy rehab process from a hip injury sustained during the Boston Celtics’ playoff run last season. He was not seen after Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals, which the Cleveland Cavaliers went on to win in five games.
With Kyrie Irving unexpectedly seeking his way out of Cleveland during the summer, Thomas found himself traded to the Cavaliers. But his tenure there was limited to a rocky 15 games. The Cavaliers then traded Thomas to the Lakers as part of their roster shakeup on deadline day.
Although there were initial signs that the former MVP candidate would not accept a role off the bench, he’s drawn praise from the Lakers front office, head coach Luke Walton and teammates for buying into the team-first culture and providing strong leadership.
Walton recently credited Thomas for not showing any signs in his demeanor for playing through discomfort in the hip that he opted against having surgery on last year. That decision may ultimately prove costly, as Thomas is bound to become a free agent at season’s end.
It was only a year ago that he was speculated about as a candidate to sign a max contract, and now Thomas may simply be looking to latch on with a team.