According to ESPN's Tom Haberstroh, Isaiah Thomas' hip injury may be much worse than initially expected, and potentially even a career-ending one.

Thomas, who was traded to Cleveland late last month partly because of Boston's concerns regarding the injury, opted to forego surgery on the hip this offseason.

From Haberstroh:

"One sports physician told ESPN.com that hip problems for guards are particularly worrisome because of their defensive crouching position as well as the intense agility demands at the position...Players have put off surgery before and found success, but real-life examples are hard to come by due to confidentiality agreements with doctors and patients. Cleveland is, once again, in the hunt for a championship, but it remains to be seen if Thomas can be healthy enough to be a part of that quest. Of the 13 recent hip labrum surgeries, none were performed on a player of Thomas' stature. None were on an MVP candidate joining a title-contending team. It's all uncharted territory. What is certain, though, is that torn hip labrums are at times imperceptible, often hideable, easily misdiagnosed and often overlooked -- and have shortened careers, or claimed them."

Going under the knife may improve Thomas' chances for a full recovery, but at this point, the timetable of a surgery and recovery for Thomas would not be favorable to his new team.

Again from Haberstroh:

"There is some evidence that when it comes to surgery, the sooner, the better. According to a recent study by the Steadman Clinic in the American Journal of Sports Medicine, athletes who had longer post-surgery careers tended to have a shorter duration of symptoms prior to going under the knife. In other words: Don't delay if you can help it... ...But if Thomas were to choose to go under the knife, the timetable may not be ideal for the Cavs. The average recovery time after a labral repair surgery is just more than six months. Such a time frame would put Thomas back on the court in mid-March if he received surgery tomorrow. But recoveries from surgery have lasted as long as 10 months, as was the case with Wilson Chandler in 2015 (his second labral tear repair in a four-year span). Each day that Thomas delays could make the situation worse. For a 32-year-old LeBron James hell-bent on dethroning the Golden State Warriors -- and doing so without the help of Kyrie Irving -- this is not a workable situation."

Despite the obvious concerns about his hip and the lack of surgery, Thomas is confident in his own ability to recover.

"I am not damaged," Thomas said last week, via ESPN. "I'll be back, and I'll be the same player."

Thomas said that he has not been given any sort of indication from doctors that the injury could be a career-altering one, and he expects to pick up where he left off when he hits the hardwood again.

"There's never been an indication that I wouldn't be back, and there's never been an indication that this is something messing up my career," Thomas said. "Maybe I am not going to be back as soon this season as everyone wants me to be, but I'm going to be back, and I'm going to be the same player again. No doctor has told me anything different than that...I haven't had one doctor tell me that this injury is going to hurt my career."

The diminutive guard from Washington is heading into a contract year with the Cavaliers. He averaged 28.9 points, 5.9 points, and 2.7 rebounds per game for the Celtics last season. Thomas, 28, who was the last pick in the 2011 NBA Draft, has overcome the odds before. Hopefully, for his sake, he is able to bounce back from this injury issue.