Isaiah Thomas sounds optimistic on his NBA return: “Hopefully something coming on my phone soon”

Former star point guard Isaiah Thomas has struggled for a spot in the NBA in recent years. After his famous 2015-16 and 2016-17 seasons with the Boston Celtics, Thomas landed in Cleveland following a serious hip injury. There, his career began its downward spiral - one that has seen him struggle to return.

Prior to the injury, Thomas was putting up stellar numbers with the Celtics, leading them to the playoffs and setting the NBA ablaze with his remarkable play. The Celtics were widely criticized for trading Thomas, given the fact that he gave everything he had to the team.

While that has been the case with many players who have been traded away in the past, Thomas went so far as to play after his sister's tragic passing. It was one of the most remarkable stories of the season, highlighting Thomas' commitment to the team even in the face of personal tragedy.

Although he has struggled to find his footing in the NBA, playing through a series of short-term contracts in recent years, he hasn't lost hope. Despite having spent almost an entire calendar year away from the league, he remains optimistic about his return.

During an interview with Heavy Sports, he spoke about his path back to the league, saying:

“Steady on the grind. Staying ready. Hopefully something coming on my phone soon. But you know me, I’m just taking care of the family and staying in the gym. I’m just staying ready, staying as positive as I can during this situation. Obviously I still want to play in the NBA, so I’m going to work for that until I can’t.”

Below, you can see some of his remarkable highlights from the 2016-17 season.

Isaiah Thomas getting interest from two teams

Isaiah Thomas revealed in the same interview that there are currently two NBA teams interested in his services. While he declined to name the two teams, it sounds as though there could be a real possibility of him joining a team before the playoffs.

“I’ve been talking to two teams the last couple of weeks. Hopefully they make a decision by the end of this week or early next week. But I’ve been in contact with teams monthly."

Thomas has bounced around teams in recent years. After Cleveland, he joined the LA Lakers, Denver Nuggets, Washington Wizards, New Orleans Pelicans, Dallas Mavericks and Charlotte Hornets.

So what's different this time around? Isaiah Thomas believes it's all about finding the right fit. Both for him and the team he joins.

"I know it’s close; I just have to find the team that really wants me to be on board and me to help in any situation possible. My agency and my representatives are just trying to figure it out.

"Obviously there’s a lot of overseas interest, but that’s just not even on my mind right now, so I don’t even want to dip into that. My ultimate goal is to have an NBA jersey. That’s all I want.”

Where do you think Isaiah Thomas will land?