Denver Nuggets: Playing buy or sell with 2019 free agents

Isaiah Thomas

The Nuggets brought Thomas in for just $5 million last season, and, after missing the majority of the year recovering from his hip injury, he was met with a standing ovation. However, as his time with the team wore on, it became more evident that he was not anywhere close to the level of play that he was during his All-Star peak from 2015-17.

During that aforementioned two-year stretch, Thomas averaged 25.6 points and 6.1 assists per game. He was also very efficient during the 2016-17 season, when he had a slashline of .463/.379/.909. For comparison, he shot 34.3 percent from the field to go with 27.9 percent from the 3-point line in his limited minutes this season. Between his struggles and the solid play of backup point guard Monte Morris, Thomas lost his rotation spot.

Similar to Lydon, IT likely won’t cost the Nuggets a ton of money to keep around. He cost only $5 million last year, and he will likely only go for that amount or less next season. However, Thomas will probably be looking for somewhere that he’ll have a bigger role, and the Nuggets just can’t offer that to him.

Verdict: Sell