A few former NBA players, including a former MVP candidate, got the chance to work out for the Dallas Mavericks on Thursday.
According to The Athletic’s Shams Charania, the Mavs hosted a workout for Isaiah Thomas, Monta Ellis and Lance Stephenson on Thursday afternoon.
Furthermore, Charania also reports that Thomas “appeared to be in great shape.”
Thomas has only played in 87 games with five different teams since 2017-18, most recently playing three games with the New Orleans Pelicans last season, scoring 23 points and adding five assists in 48 minutes.
At one point though, with the Boston Celtics, Thomas was a serious MVP candidate, making the 2016-17 All-NBA team (when he also finished fifth in MVP voting) and two All-Star teams.
Ellis hasn’t played in the NBA in four seasons, last suiting up for the Indiana Pacers in 2017. Nicknamed the Mississippi Bullet for his breakneck scoring pace and burst on the hardwood, Ellis has played 12 seasons in the NBA with career averages of 17.8 points, 4.6 assists and 3.5 rebounds per game.
Stephenson’s most recent NBA experience came in 2018-19 with the Los Angeles Lakers, playing in 68 games and averaging 7.8 points and 3.2 rebounds per game. One of the league’s most colorful characters in recent seasons, Stephenson has played nine total seasons in the NBA with seven different teams, but most of his career was spent with the Indiana Pacers.
It remains to be seen if any of the three players will be signed by the Mavs for the upcoming season but, as of now, all three remain free agents.
