Isaiah Thomas admits he's frustrated a Celtics return hasn't happened

Isaiah Thomas loves Boston, the Celtics and the fans who give him a warm reception every time he steps foot on the parquet floor at TD Garden. 

He's jumped around the NBA over the last couple years, playing for five different teams since the beginning of the 2018-19 season.

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Thomas recently signed with the Charlotte Hornets, who will host the red-hot Celtics on Wednesday night. The 33-year-old guard spoke to reporters Tuesday and spoke openly about wanting to return to the Celtics and his frustration over the fact that is hasn't happened.

“It's hard to speak on because I’ve opened my arms to try to come back in so many ways,” Thomas said. “It’s not even about playing and trying to pick up where I left off. I’m past that moment, but I know there’s been times where I can help in that locker room. I’m not in there every day, so I can’t speak on what’s going on. This is from the outside looking in, but I’ve felt there’s been times where Brad (Stevens) could make a call and give me an opportunity and it hasn’t happened.

“That’s very frustrating because of the relationship we have and the friendship we’ve been able to have over the years. I've felt like there’s been opportunities to make that happen and it hasn’t. That’s disappointing in a lot of ways because I love Boston and everything about the City of Boston, and the people who have shown me the most love is obviously from Boston.”

Celtics head coach Ime Udoka was asked later Tuesday about the idea of Thomas returning to the team.

"Regarding Isaiah, point guard was never really a position of need," Udoka explained. "Trading Dennis (Schroder) and getting Derrick (White) filled some of the hole. Payton (Pritchard) got more of an opportunity there. With Marcus (Smart) playing at the level he is, Payton getting the opportunity and Derrick being able to do some, as well as Jayson (Tatum) and Jaylen (Brown) handling quite a bit, point guard was never really a position of need. It was more other positions, and we filled those roster spots with other guys."

Udoka is right that the Celtics don't need another ball-handler -- they have plenty of guys who can run the offense and create for others. Thomas does make an interesting point, though. He doesn't have to score to be effective. He could be an end-of-the-bench guy who provides leadership and a positive locker room presence.

The Celtics run a pretty tight rotation these days and don't go too deep into the bench on most nights. So, if you're going to have guys on the roster not playing much -- if at all -- why not bring back a well-liked former teammate?