Grading the Denver Nuggets’ Free Agency Acquisitions
Signing Isaiah Thomas
During last summer at this time, Isaiah Thomas was pushing for a max contract. Unfortunately for him, a turn of events turned him from an MVP candidate and potential max player to a veteran minimum player. He played poorly after being traded to the Cavaliers and was again traded to the Los Angeles Lakers. His injury was more severe than initially thought. He averaged 15.2 points and 4.1 assists, a steep 14 point decrease from his 2016-17 campaign in Boston.
Denver signing Thomas to the veteran minimum is a reasonably safe move that has little to no risk involved. Thomas showed in 2017 that he can be an elite scorer and ball handler. Playing in a sixth man role for Denver could see him making a positive impact on the Nuggets. However, he is a defensive liability and needs to be hidden on the defensive end. For an already bad defensive team in the Nuggets, hiding Thomas could prove ineffectual. If Thomas can even be half of the player he was in 2017, he will be vital for Denver. If not, he costs little to nothing and comes off of the books next summer.
Grade: A
