After missing the playoffs by one game last season, the Nuggets will reportedly turn to a former All-Star to help push them over the hump.
ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reports that Denver has come to terms with free agent guard Isaiah Thomas on a one-year deal. Thomas, a two-time All-Star with the Boston Celtics, struggled last season while trying to recover from a hip injury that ultimately required hip surgery in March. Per Wojnarowski:
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.
Thomas, the 60th and last pick of the 2011 NBA Draft, made a name for himself as a clutch scorer with the Celtics after being his previous two teams (Sacramento and Phoenix) parted ways with him. In two-and-a-half seasons with Boston, the 5-foot-9 guard averaged 24.7 points and 6.0 assists per game. In 2016-17, Thomas was the driving force behind the Celtics’ run to the Eastern Conference Finals while earning All-NBA Second Team honors along the way.
That playoff run ended, however, with a hip injury that lingered well past Boston dealing him to Cleveland in exchange for Kyrie Irving. Thomas played just 15 games for the Cavaliers before he was again dealt, this time to the Los Angeles Lakers. He suited up in 17 games for the Lakers before hip surgery ended a season in which he shot just 37.3 percent from the field.
Wojnarowski further reports that Thomas’ deal with the Nuggets will be for one year at the veteran’s minimum.
