NBA Rumors: Once Promising Guard Faces Bleak Future In Free Agency

There was a time when Isaiah Thomas was one of the most promising guards that NBA teams were after. He had his best years with the Sacramento Kings and the Boston Celtics before a hip injury spoiled all that.

Since being traded by the Celtics to the Cleveland Cavaliers back in 2017, I.T. has struggled to recall the form that allowed him to finish fifth in MVP voting. He held an underpaid contract at that time and that hip injury may continue to keep him at that level for now.

Try as he might Thomas just cannot shake the injury bug entirely. He was unable to find his game with the Cavs and the same trend followed when he moved to the Los Angeles Lakers in 2018. His woes continue to this day even with the Denver Nuggets, NBC Sports reported.

The Nuggets are headed to the NBA playoffs and have surprised pundits with a 44-22 record, second best in the Western Conference. Much of the credit goes to head coach Michael Malone, ironically the same guy who coached Thomas when both were still with the Sacramento Kings.

Hence, it seems obvious that Malone can bring out the best in Thomas. There is familiarity and perhaps this is the break that I.T. is looking for. Unfortunately, that may not be happening with Thomas slowly being eased out of the shortened rotation of the Nuggets.

Malone seems to be shortening the rotation in preparation for the playoffs. He wants Denver to try and find their rhythm and Thomas is unfortunately not part of that mix. He was not fielded in their game against the Minnesota Timberwolves and it looks like this will be the same case scenario moving forward, The Denver Post reported.

Instead of turning to Thomas as his backup point guard, Malone has been going to Monte Morris instead. Seeing how 23-year-old has become one of the NBA’s best backup point guards, the choice is obvious.

Looking ahead, there is no telling if Thomas will ever get that chance to show that he can still play with or against the younger NBA guards of today. If not, he faces yet another questionable future heading into NBA free agency this summer.

On the court, there is no question what Thomas can do. But the bigger concern of NBA teams right now is consistency and the ability of the 30-year-old to stay healthy for long. All these will factor in when the NBA offseason comes around.