The Dallas Mavericks are going to the past in an attempt to fill out their remaining roster spots with training camp slated to start in less than a month.
According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, Dallas worked out veteran guards Isaiah Thomas and Monta Ellis as well as wing Lance Stephenson on Thursday.
No, that’s not a typo. Ellis got a workout from an NBA team after having not suited up in the Association since he was a member of the Indiana Pacers back in 2016-17. As for Thomas, the 32-year-old guard played a mere three games with the New Orleans Pelicans last season.
Ellis, 35, was a second-round pick of the Golden State Warriors back in 2005-06. He averaged a studly 19.6 points and 4.4 assists on 47% shooting in parts of seven seasons with the Warriors before being dealt to the Milwaukee Bucks in the Andrew Bogut trade. He played with the Dallas Mavericks from 2013-15, averaging 19.0 points and 4.9 assists on 47% shooting.
Thomas is a bit of a different story. Also a former second-round pick, he played at an MVP level with the Boston Celtics in 2016-17, averaging a whopping 28.9 points. Unfortunately, a hip injury during the playoffs that year derailed a promising career. Just recently, Thomas worked out for the Los Angeles Lakers.
As for the Dallas Mavericks, they have been extremely active under first-year general manager Nico Harrison. That has included bringing in the likes of Sterling Brown, Reggie Bullock and Moses Brown.