3 reasons why the Oklahoma City Thunder should bring in Isaiah Thomas this summer

Less than two years ago, Isaiah Thomas was widely considered as one of the NBA's most valuable point guards. Despite his slender 5'9 frame, Thomas managed to successfully build a career around his strengths rather than his shortcomings, and during the 16/17 season, he averaged 28.9 points per night.

Thomas' performances also earned him fifth place in the 2017 MVP voting, although he soon found himself traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers, and his career has since been derailed by a series of persistent injuries over the last 16 months.

Thomas joined the Denver Nuggets last summer, although after only making his debut in February, reports have suggested that Thomas will now be used sparingly going forward. Due to this, Thomas appears to have no future with the Nuggets beyond the summer, and here we will look at three reasons why he may be a good fit for the Oklahoma City Thunder.

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#3 His injury issues are seemingly behind him

Los Angeles Clippers v Denver Nuggets

Thomas' injury issues started to mount towards the end of the 16/17 season, and despite bravely fighting on for much of the postseason, a hip injury eventually forced him out of the playoffs. In the following months, he was traded to Cleveland, although the Cavs' medical staff immediately realized that Thomas was dealing with a serious injury.

It wasn't until nearly a year later that Thomas finally underwent surgery, and his hip operation would keep him out for a further 10 months. However, Thomas has recently returned to the court, and he has looked sharp during his limited minutes playing for the Nuggets.

Thanks to being seemingly injury-free, Thomas is now undoubtedly a much more attractive signing than he was last summer, and there is no reason why he couldn't average 15 minutes per game from the Thunder's bench next season.

#2 Dennis Schroder's likely departure

Oklahoma City Thunder v Denver Nuggets

Since joining the Thunder from the Atlanta Hawks last summer, Dennis Schroder has performed well in his role from the bench. Despite being a regular starter for much of his career, the German has embraced his role as backup to 2017 MVP Russell Westbrook, and he is currently averaging an impressive 15.4 points and 4.2 assists per game.

Nevertheless, the Thunder are currently lacking in available cap space, and despite vastly improving the OKC's historically weak reserve unit, Schroder is still among the most overpaid player's in the entire NBA. The 25-year-old is still owed $60 million over the next two years, and the Thunder will have trouble in attracting new talent without first offloading Schroder.

Raymond Felton's future is also in doubt, as the veteran will turn 35 in the summer, and it looks like Thomas could be a perfect fit to add new depth at the point guard position.

#1 He offers value for money

Utah Jazz v Denver Nuggets

Two years ago, Thomas infamously told the Boston Celtics that they needed to bring out the Brinks truck in order to convince him to sign an extension. At the point of his comments, Thomas was expected to attract major interest on the open market, however, when 2018 Free Agency finally came around, injury issues had left Thomas struggling to find a new team.

After attracting little interest, Thomas reluctantly signed a one-year veteran minimum's deal with the Nuggets, although the point guard hoped that a successful season in Denver could help him secure a big payday the following summer.

However, things have failed to work out for the 30-year-old, and this summer, he will most likely be available on a one-year minimum once again. This makes Thomas a completely risk free, short term investment, and bringing him in as Westbrook's backup makes a lot of sense for the Thunder.