At least one general manager believes the decision from Isaiah Thomas not to undergo surgery on his injured hip last offseason is a red flag.

Thomas underwent surgery at the end of this season.

"It’s a red flag that he did not have surgery on it," one general manager told Sporting News. "If you have a problem that can be fixed heading into your free-agent year, you get surgery. If there is concern that you can’t fix it with surgery, that means probably there is something more wrong. It is something that, obviously, the doctors will look at closely."

Thomas averaged just 15.2 points in 32 games this season as he lacked the explosion that made him an MVP candidate in 16-17.

"Just given the way he played last year," another NBA executive said, "I think you can’t go more than one year on him. Maybe you can do two years if you hold the second year at your option. That’s before you even get into whether he is healthy."

Any team that considers signing Thomas will want protections in case there's lingering issues with his hip.

"I think everybody likes the guy," the GM said. "You root for him. But do you want to pay him $12 or 14 million when you know you’re also paying for all the headaches that his health could give you? Someone will get him, but it’s going to be a low-risk deal."