Isaiah Thomas has officially been ruled out for the season after undergoing successful hip surgery, the Los Angeles Lakers announced on Thursday evening. According to the team, Thomas' recovery is expected to take four months. 

Thomas has not played since March 22 because of ongoing pain in his hip. After sitting out a few games, reports came on Wednesday that Thomas was set to go arthroscopic surgery on his hip in order to "clean up" inflammatory debris remaining in the joint from his injury last season with the Celtics. 

The Lakers guard, of course, decided not to have surgery in the summer, instead opting for the rehab route. Even still he missed the first half of the season with the Cavaliers, then played just 15 games with the team before he was shipped to the Lakers during the Cavs' deadline day restructuring. 

Thomas had been playing pretty well with the Lakers, and the team was reportedly impressed by his influence on the younger players. And depending on how the Lakers' free agency plans pan out, they may be interested in bringing Thomas back. But all of that depends, mostly, on how Thomas' rehab from this procedure goes. 

Free agency begins on July 1, just over three months from Thursday, which means Thomas will not be healthy when teams are trying to figure out who to bring in. That, obviously will have a big impact on the type of contract Thomas could receive this summer. Just a year ago, he was talking of "backing up the Brinks truck," but now he may have to settle for a one-year deal. A team -- such as the Lakers -- looking to hit the salary floor and bridge the gap between this summer and next may be interested in signing Thomas. 

Such a deal could have benefits for both the team and Thomas. Whichever team signs him will likely do so at a steep discount, and if Thomas is able to return to somewhere near the form he showed in the 2016-17 season with the Celtics, when he finished third in the league in scoring, that could be a fantastic signing. As for Thomas, he will have a chance to prove to teams that he's still a starting caliber point guard in this league, and possibly build up his value for a big contract in the summer of 2019.