Isaiah Thomas Looks to Redeem Himself With Denver Nuggets
Free agent guard Isaiah Thomas has agreed to a one-year deal with the Denver Nuggets, league sources tell ESPN. Thomas will reunite with Michael Malone, who coached him with the Kings.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 13, 2018
Honestly, I’m happy for Isaiah Thomas.
That man has been through some serious shit this past year. His journey from being a top-5 MVP candidate to signing for the veteran’s minimum has been pretty hard to watch. It’s part of the reason why you can’t really blame a guy for chasing the money when it’s right in front of him. Anything can happen over the course of one year, and IT has been on a roller-coaster in that short period of time.
This is clearly a prove-it deal for IT, who had his season cut short last year following yet another hip injury. This is the same hip that held him out of the 2017 ECF and a majority of last season. But if he can ball out this year with the Nuggets and stay healthy, I have a feeling there’s still a shot he gets that big contract he’s been dreaming of.
For the Nuggets, I think this signing is exactly what they needed to get over the hump. They were an offensive juggernaut last season, and now they’re getting one of the most talented scorers in the game for nothing. This addition will get Denver into the post-season for the first time since 2013, I’m convinced of it. It’ll be interesting to see how they work IT into their rotation. You have to think that he’ll be coming off the bench with the emergence of Jamal Murray at point guard. And as far as defense goes, this team wasn’t very great defensively to begin with. Adding Thomas isn’t going to make them much better there.
All in all, this is a win-win for both sides. The Nuggets are getting a veteran point guard and a hell of a leader in Thomas, while Thomas gets a shot at making a name for himself again. I really like the fit.
-Nick Cherico (@NickCherico2)