The Denver Nuggets could not let the Isaiah Thomas opportunity pass them by.
For the deal the Denver Nuggets go Isaiah Thomas for, they would have been foolish to pass on him. The man was an All NBA Second Team player and nearly averaging 30 points per game a couple of seasons ago.
The Nuggets got him for a veteran minimum. If that is not highway robbery in NBA free agency terms, then I do not know what is to tell you the truth.
Denver was lucky enough to get Thomas to sign a “prove it,” deal and help shore up their second unit at the same time. Besides, if Thomas does bounce back, then the Nuggets will have a legitimate big three on their hands in I.T., Nikola Jokic and Paul Millsap.
Not to mention, Gary Harris and Jamal Murray are still developing at a nice rate. It would have been different if Thomas were demanding a max deal or a little less. However, this was one of those low risk and high reward chances you must take when it comes to the NBA.
If he does not pan out, that is fine as he is only on a one year deal and the franchise will not be breaking the bank for him. If he does pan out, great! The Nuggets will have be taken serious in the Western Conference after years of being overlooked.
Thomas will most likely be a great weapon coming off the bench. Per basketball reference, he averaged 15.6 points per game last season coming off the bench for the Lakers. These are still decent scoring numbers, even if it is a down year after his 28.9 points per game season.
What is also being massively overlooked is Michael Malone coached him for a bit in Sacramento.
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Signing Isaiah Thomas made too much sense for this promising Denver Nuggets squad.