NBA Free Agency Roundup: 12th July - Nets trade Jeremy Lin to Hawks; Isaiah Thomas signs with the Denver Nuggets
After a rather quiet Wednesday with no hard-hitting rumors or free-agency deals, Thursday didn't disappoint in the same way. Still, no confirmation on the Houston Rockets landing either Carmelo Anthony or Clint Capela but one other big name free agent put pen to paper while few other players were traded by their respective teams.
With the Las Vegas Summer League in full swing, free agency might have died down but by no means is it over. As we recap, the biggest news from Thursday, get the latest we have on Carmelo Anthony and Clint Capela here.
Let's get right to it:
Isaiah Thomas signs with the Denver Nuggets
If you look back at this man's past couple of seasons in the NBA, it's a little disheartening to see how his value his spiralled. He was a Top 5 MVP candidate in the 2016-17 season and just one disastrous summer later, he's signed on with the Denver Nuggets for the veteran's minimum, ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported.
The contract is said to be a 1-year, $2 million dollar deal.
As Woj rightly reports, Isaiah will reunite with former coach Michael Malone. It's also important to note that the Nuggets are now Thomas' fourth team in just three years. Last season itself, he played on two teams - the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Los Angeles Lakers - after being traded the earlier summer by the Boston Celtics in exchange for Kyrie Irving.
There's obvious talent in Isaiah so it's a pity that he's still having to prove himself after having done so much for the Celtics. Whichever team he goes to, the harsh reality remains that he is a defensive liability and that isn't because of his fight or effort but instead because of his height.
The contract is also probably in accordance with the market that Isaiah had available to him. Although salary cap wise there were multiple teams that could have signed him, it's the basketball fit that matters more.