Lakers News: Isaiah Thomas Undergoes Surgery on Hip Injury; Out 4 Months

Los Angeles Lakers point guard Isaiah Thomas will miss the rest of the regular season after undergoing arthroscopic surgery on his right hip, the team announced Thursday.

According to the Lakers, Thomas should recover from the procedure in four months, which will have him healthy in plenty of time for the start of the 2018-19 NBA regular season.

The injury dates back to last year's playoffs.

Thomas tried playing through the injury but was ruled out after re-aggravating the problem in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals.

In an interview last December with ESPN's Rachel Nichols, Thomas said he would've bowed out of the playoffs altogether if he could go back and do things over again. He added that he wished the Celtics medical staff would've been more forthright with how serious the injury could be before he tried to keep playing:

Thomas didn't make his 2017-18 debut until the Cleveland Cavaliers' Jan. 2 win over the Portland Trail Blazers. Even when assuming he had some rust to shake off after his long absence, the two-time All-Star looked like a shell of the player who finished fifth in the 2016-17 NBA MVP voting.

Thomas averaged 15.2 points and 4.8 assists and shot 29.3 percent from three-point range between his time with the Cavaliers and Lakers.

Hip surgery will add even more uncertainty to Thomas' free agency this summer, but it's the best move for his long-term future.

ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported the Lakers would consider re-signing Thomas to a one-year deal if they strike out with their pursuits of LeBron James and Paul George.

While that would be a far cry from the contract Thomas would've received before his hip injury, it would allow him to prove himself worthy of a lucrative multiyear offer during the summer of 2019.