Isaiah Thomas Believes Rajon Rondo Addition Kept Him from Lakers' Offseason Contract

Two-time All-Star point guard Isaiah Thomas said he was "very close" to signing with the Los Angeles Lakers during the offseason.

"I really believe if the [Rajon] Rondo buyout didn't happen, you know, I woulda been a Laker," Thomas told Stadium's Shams Charania (around the 2:40 mark) on Tuesday. "All respect to Rondo and respect to the Lakers organization."

Rondo was bought out by the Memphis Grizzlies in August following a trade from the Los Angeles Clippers, and he signed with the Lakers soon afterward.

Thomas signed with the Grand Rapids Gold, the G League affiliate of the Denver Nuggets, on Monday.

The 32-year-old University of Washington product's last NBA opportunity came when he signed a 10-day contract with the New Orleans Pelicans during the latter stages of the 2020-21 season. He averaged 7.7 across three appearances.

His peak seasons came with the Boston Celtics. He ranked eighth among all NBA players in ESPN's real plus-minus during the 2015-16 season and averaged a career-high 28.9 points in 2016-17.

Thomas then dealt with long-term hip problems that caused a drop-off in play, however, and he ultimately underwent hip surgery in May 2020.

Now the 2017 All-NBA second-team selection is trying to prove he deserves a full-time NBA roster spot once again.

There was a point during the offseason when the 5'9" point guard would have made sense for the Lakers, where he played briefly in 2018, but the blockbuster trade for Russell Westbrook and the signing of Rondo left no path to a meaningful role.

LeBron James also handles a lot of the ball-handling responsibility in L.A., and Avery Bradley was also brought in for further depth at the point.

Thomas will now get an opportunity to prove himself in the G League, and it wouldn't be a surprise to see him on an NBA roster, either with Denver or elsewhere, in the coming months if he can show anywhere near the offensive ability he did during his time in Boston.

His days of being a high-end building block may be a thing of the past, but there's a path for him to become a valuable bench player if the offensive talent is still there.