It was a feel-good story out of the bleakness of the COVID surge hitting the NBA — the Lakers brought Isaiah Thomas back into the league. He scored 19 points in his return as a Laker.
The reality is much harsher: Through four games Thomas was shooting 30.8% overall and 22.7% from 3, he shot 2-of-16 in his last two games, the Laker defense was five points per 100 possessions worse when he was on the court, and acting Lakers coach David Fizdale didn’t play Thomas against the Nets on Christmas. Los Angeles has lost five in a row.
The Lakers decided not to bring back Thomas on a second 10-day hardship contract despite point guard Rajon Rondo entering health and safety protocols today, a story broken by Shams Charania of The Athletic and confirmed by others.
The Lakers and Isaiah Thomas won’t do a second 10-day contract, making him a free agent, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium. Multiple teams are expected to express interest in Thomas, who averaged 9.3 points in four games for Lakers.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) December 26, 2021
It is likely in this world of rapid player turnover due to the Omicron virus hitting the league that another team will pick up Thomas on a 10-day hardship contract. However, he will have to play a lot better than he did in Los Angeles to stick with a team once healthy players start returning from protocols.
Here’s more on the Lakers
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Lakers not bringing Isaiah Thomas back on second 10-day contract originally appeared on NBCSports.com