Isaiah Thomas Pursuing Comeback, Signing With Jazz G League Affiliate

January 27, 2025

Isaiah Thomas is taking another shot at an NBA comeback, but this time, he’s going back to where it all started in the G League.

The veteran guard is signing a new contract with the Salt Lake City Stars, the Jazz’s affiliate, according to Shams Charania of ESPN.

This comes as no surprise to anyone who’s been following his journey — he’s been trying to get back to the NBA for a while now, and the Stars represent his latest opportunity.

The 5-foot-9 guard, a two-time All-Star and one of the league’s most electric scorers in his prime, has seen his career trajectory take a steep downturn after a series of injury setbacks, most notably a troublesome right hip.

While his 2015-2017 stretch — including a Sixth Man of the Year runner-up finish and an MVP-caliber season in 2017 — is etched in NBA history, it’s been a struggle since.

At 36, Thomas finds himself in the midst of a tough reality: the combination of age, health concerns, and defensive limitations have made it nearly impossible for him to secure an NBA role.

Since the 2020-21 season, he’s only appeared in 31 regular season games. It’s clear the road back to the NBA is more challenging than ever, but last season’s brief stint with the Salt Lake City Stars showed that he can still light up the G League.

He put up impressive numbers there, scoring 30 or more points in four straight games, which earned him a call-up from the Suns.

Although his time with Phoenix was largely uneventful — six games and just 19 minutes of total play, including a four-minute cameo in the postseason — it was a glimmer of hope that an NBA opportunity could materialize again.

If Thomas can replicate that G League success and prove he’s still got some of that explosive scoring ability, maybe another NBA team will give him another shot. But with the Suns’ experience fresh in mind, it’s clear that his days as a regular contributor in the league are likely behind him.

Still, as we’ve seen in the past, a motivated Thomas can surprise you. Don’t count him out just yet.