The Dallas Mavericks have reportedly been working out several very familiar faces this week. But fans seem to believe that those players’ best days are behind them.
NBA insider Shams Charania reported on Thursday that free agent guards Isaiah Thomas, Lance Stephenson and Monta Ellis all worked out for the team. Thomas in particular looked good, per the report.
All three of those players are in their 30s with very few NBA games between them over the last few seasons. In fact, Ellis has not played a minute on an NBA court since 2017. Stephenson has been off the court since 2019.
Those factors are probably why NBA fans are having a pretty big laugh on Twitter right now. Some believe that this would have been a far more impressive announcement over five years ago. Others joked that the Mavs should have invited some other players who have been out of the league for years:
what a trio of names https://t.co/o4No69uRCi
— Jason Patt (@Bulls_Jay) September 2, 2021
Monta Ellis back to the Mavs would be my favorite offseason move I think https://t.co/jwg0nkSFAU
— Matthew Tynan (@Matthew_Tynan) September 2, 2021
OJ Mayo must have gotten his invite lost in the mail. https://t.co/xlr2rCgID1
— Michael Kelminson (@mjk2341) September 2, 2021
this would’ve owned in 2014 https://t.co/h8Swi6VteT
— /r/Mavericks offszn (@redditmavericks) September 2, 2021
Monta Ellis is a 12-year NBA veteran who played two seasons for the Dallas Mavericks between 2013 and 2015. He appeared in 162 games and averaged 19 points in those two years. Ellis has not played professional basketball since being waived by the Indiana Pacers in 2017.
Lance Stephenson has played in nine NBA seasons and is 30 years old. He’s averaged 8.6 points in his career.
Isaiah Thomas is a two-time NBA All-Star and earned All-NBA honors in 2017 after averaging over 28 points per game. But he’s bounced around the league over the last few years.
It would really be something if any of those veterans managed to swing a deal with the Dallas Mavericks.
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