Isaiah Thomas is a small player by NBA standards, but with one of the biggest hearts in the league. He was able to overcome a lot of adversity playing for the Boston Celtics. Unfortunately, despite a terrific season with the team, he was traded away in a swap for Kyrie Irving. Injuries may have also derailed his career.
The NBA offseason has been entertaining, with many big superstars, like LeBron James choosing to take his talents elsewhere and others staying with their respective teams, like Paul Georg re-signing with OKC.
Teams are still signing players and trading away others for cap space and draft picks for the future. The Denver Nuggets have given Thomas another chance, as they have inked him to a one-year deal.
A new team
Isaiah Thomas was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers, and ultimately it was not a good fit for him, as he did not play well for the team and was not performing at an elite level. His image was also hurt by leaked sources that he was causing dysfunction in the Cavaliers' locker room. Then the Cavaliers shipped him to the Los Angeles Lakers, and despite playing decent off the bench, they chose to not re-sign him.
Now, he is a member of the Denver Nuggets organization, as according to an ESPN report, "Free-agent Isaiah Thomas has agreed to a one-year, $2 million deal with the Denver Nuggets." It is a lot different from what he was expecting to get from the Boston Celtics after having an excellent season, as ESPN reports indicate that: "he averaged 28.9 points per game for the Boston Celtics in 2016-17, a second-team All-NBA season that appeared to be clearing the way for a long-term, $100 million contract." The Celtics, unfortunately, chose to move on from him, even though Thomas led the Celtics deep into the playoffs.
Isaiah Thomas's career has taken an extreme fall from grace, as CBS Sports lists this as Thomas's "fourth team in just two seasons." The Nuggets have chosen to give Thomas another chance to show what he has left in the league and sign a max deal with another franchise.
They are also not risking much with a one-year deal to see how he performs.
The team, on the other hand, just missed the postseason, as the Minnesota Timberwolves acquired the last remaining spot. The Nuggets have great players in Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray, Will Barton, and Gary Harris. It will be interesting to see how Thomas performs under a familiar coach when he was with the Sacramento Kings. He will most likely be contributing as a bench player unless drastic injuries derail the team.
Thomas will be looking to revive his career and show the world that he can still play the game of basketball after a hip injury that required surgery. It was a problem that he fought while being a member of the Celtics. He has not looked quite the same after the surgery, but we shouldn't count him out. He has proven to us before that he never is.