Lakers point guard Isaiah Thomas was supposed to be a max contract player after his final season with the Celtics. He scored points in bunches, helped lead Boston to the Eastern Conference finals, and was seen as an MVP candidate that season. However, a hip injury and two trades later leaves Thomas' free agency future in question.

Thomas recently had to undergo surgery on the same hip that caused him to sit out the end of his Celtics playoff run and miss the beginning of his tenure with the Cavaliers. According to Thomas, even though he was able to play, the hip never fully recovered and would leave him very sore. Via Orange County Register:

"I was very sore," Thomas said. "I was continuing to play and I was just sore and the soreness wasn't going away." 

Now Thomas has to prove to teams that he's worth taking a risk on in free agency. He won't be worth the max contract he could have commanded a year ago, but he can still get a long-term deal if he can convince a team out there that his hip isn't a problem anymore.

Thomas said he was unconcerned with free agency.

"The results will show that the surgery only fixed it," he said. "The world knew that I never got my labrum fixed when I was going through that and trying to heal on my own. … The decision that I made it felt like it was the best decision for me personally, individually, as a basketball player for the rest of my career."

Thomas hip won't be the only factor teams have to think about with him. His desire to be a starting point guard could push away teams that are interested. Teams would have a much easier time justifying the risks if he was willing to accept a sixth man role like the one he ended up taking in Los Angeles. However, that's a decision he'll have to make come free agency. Is he willing to take a lesser role for a better contract, or does he stick to being a starter and risk losing more money?