Isaiah Thomas Rumors: Wizards Considering Contract Offer for Ex-Nuggets PG
The Washington Wizards may not be done addressing their backcourt this offseason.
According to David Aldridge of The Athletic, the Wizards are "talking" with free-agent point guard Isaiah Thomas "hoping there's a fit there."
Aldridge added, "Wizards obviously know what a healthy Isaiah Thomas can do. The plan would not be to play him big minutes, of course, but pair his PG playing time with [Ish] Smith (and, occasionally, undrafted FA Justin Robinson, when Robinson isn't with Washington’s G-League team)."
The Wizards have already signed Smith to a two-year, $12 million contract this offseason, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium. They also agreed to a sign-and-trade that will send guard Tomas Satoransky to the Chicago Bulls, per Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.
That deal will net the Wizards future draft picks. According to Wojnarowski, "Chicago eliminates protections on 2023 second-round pick to Washington; Wizards get better of Memphis and Chicago's 2020 second-round pick; Wizards get right to swap Los Angeles Lakers 2022 second with better of Chicago/Detroit 2022 seconds."
For the Wizards, the potential of adding two point guards this offseason makes sense. John Wall is recovering from a ruptured left Achilles tendon and is likely out until at least February and perhaps longer than that. While Smith and Thomas can't replicate Wall's impact on the court, they would give the team options in his stead.
What's unclear is just how much Thomas has left in the tank. The 30-year-old missed much of the 2018-19 season while recovering from hip surgery, playing 12 games for the Denver Nuggets off their bench. He averaged 8.1 points and 1.9 assists in 15.1 minutes per contest—shooting just 34.3 percent from the field and 27.9 percent from three—and fell out of the rotation entirely in the postseason, making zero appearances.
Thomas also struggled in the 2017-18 season and dealt with hip issues, appearing in just 32 total games between the Cleveland Cavaliers and Los Angeles Lakers. He's now two years removed from averaging 28.9 points and 5.9 assists per game with the Boston Celtics, and there are legitimate questions if he'll ever be anything close to that type of player again.
But in Washington, he would come in as a depth piece to hold down the fort in Wall's absence, so expectations should be reasonable. In that role, he's worth a flier for the Wizards.
