The former Boston Celtics‘ star and Denver Nuggets backup Isaiah Thomas has moved on to join the Washington Wizards on a one-year deal, per Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN. The 30-year-old has suffered through injuries the past few seasons, but believes he can return to his old form with training this offseason.
Thomas has played eight seasons in the NBA and is most famously known for his time with the Celtics. In the 2016-17 season, Thomas averaged 28.9 points a game and was a second-team All-NBA player that season. He suffered a right hip injury that saw him out for more than eight months and was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers. He has since moved to the Los Angeles Lakers and to the Nuggets. The Nugs made the second seed in this year’s season and have incredible depth in the back-court, led by Jamal Murray and Gary Harris. Thomas found it difficult to find significant play time, but helped the team the best he could.
“Denver allowed me to take really as much time as I needed to get back to 100 percent health,” Thomas said, according to ESPN. “Obviously, I wanted to play, and I thought I could’ve contributed in the regular season and playoffs, but I understood [coach Mike Malone’s] decision, and I think I contributed in other ways as a leader, as someone who was there to answer the questions of the younger guys. I stayed ready and prepared to play.”
Thomas has played a total of 42 games the past three seasons. He expects to obtain a full offseason of preparation ahead of joining his new team this fall. He joins a team led by John Wall,and is still unsure whether or not Bradley Beal will still be with the team come the new season.
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“When I look at it from the outside, I understood it. I missed 50 games, the team was having a helluva season, and it wasn’t easy to just squeeze me in there when so many guys were playing so well. They didn’t want to mess up what they had going. I understood it.”
