Celtics rumors: Isaiah Thomas says Boston doesn’t want him back
According to Isaiah Thomas, the Boston Celtics wouldn’t consider bringing him back on a 10-day contract the way the Lakers and Mavericks have.
A December COVID outbreak has seen NBA teams bring capable veterans back into the league, including the Boston Celtics. On Dec. 22, the Celtics signed Joe Johnson to a 10-day contract, contributing immediately with the final basket in a Dec. 23 victory.
But once his 10 days were over, Johnson was gone, and the Celtics don’t seem to want him back.
Tatum on Joe Johnson: "We all enjoyed the time that he was here...The ultimate professional and somebody a lot of us look up to and obviously, we would have loved to kept him around. I'm certain it was less about him and more about business."
— Jared Weiss (@JaredWeissNBA) January 4, 2022
Still watches Cs games and texts JT.
It’s a similar situation for another former Celtic who, despite feeling the love from fans, doesn’t expect to be signed by Boston anytime soon.
Celtics might need Isaiah Thomas just to come play the 4th quarter for us cuz we are trash, especially with a 20 point lead
— Spose (@spizzyspose) January 7, 2022
https://twitter.com/isaiahthomas/status/1479517087122952193?s=20&t=GRmKBBNOVoe6LXiRq9q_dg
Isaiah Thomas believes he could lead the Celtics, but they wouldn’t sign him
Like Johnson, Thomas has benefitted from the dearth of available NBA players due to an uptick in COVID cases. On Dec. 13, Thomas signed with the Grand Rapids Gold in the NBA G League before signing a 10-day contract with the Lakers on Dec. 17 due to their hardship exception.
By Dec. 29, Thomas followed that contract with a 10-day contract with the Dallas Mavericks, which is set to expire on Jan. 7.
Celtics fans are mounting their own campaign to bring back Thomas, who played for the Celtics from 2015 to 2017. During his time in Boston, Thomas was a two-time NBA All-Star and named second-team All-NBA.
Even if the Celtics are uninterested, the 32-year-old point guard has proven that he still has the grit and talent to merit a longer contract on an NBA roster. Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd noted Thomas’ tenacity before the team called him up to play for them in Sacramento.
“Those Seattle guys can hoop, no matter where it’s at,” Kidd said. “If he’s asked to play at the highest level, he’ll get on a plane and fly anywhere to play. That’s how much he loves the game. He wants to get back in the league, so this is a great opportunity for him.”
Thomas was grocery shopping when he got the call and boarded a plane to play that night.
Isaiah Thomas was out grocery shopping in Seattle when Mavs GM Nico Harrison called him today about signing a 10-day contract. He asked me, 'You think you can play tonight.? I said, 'Hell yeah I can play tonight.' " So Thomas hopped on a plane and flew to Sacramento.
— Dwain Price (@DwainPrice) December 30, 2021
For now, Mavericks fans are happy to have him for as long as he remains — but Celtics fans would be more than happy to host him as well.
https://twitter.com/Mavs_FFL/status/1476265809823645702
More. Joe Johnson nails first shot back in improbable return with Celtics (Video). light