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After a rather quiet Wednesday with no hard-hitting rumors or free-agency deals, Thursday didn't disappoint in the same way. Still, no confirmation on the Houston Rockets landing either Carmelo Anthony or Clint Capela but one other big name free agent put pen to paper while few other players were traded by their respective teams.
With the Las Vegas Summer League in full swing, free agency might have died down but by no means is it over. As we recap, the biggest news from Thursday, get the latest we have on Carmelo Anthony and Clint Capela here.
Let's get right to it:
Isaiah Thomas signs with the Denver Nuggets
If you look back at this man's past couple of seasons in the NBA, it's a little disheartening to see how his value his spiralled. He was a Top 5 MVP candidate in the 2016-17 season and just one disastrous summer later, he's signed on with the Denver Nuggets for the veteran's minimum, ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported.
The contract is said to be a 1-year, $2 million dollar deal.
As Woj rightly reports, Isaiah will reunite with former coach Michael Malone. It's also important to note that the Nuggets are now Thomas' fourth team in just three years. Last season itself, he played on two teams - the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Los Angeles Lakers - after being traded the earlier summer by the Boston Celtics in exchange for Kyrie Irving.
There's obvious talent in Isaiah so it's a pity that he's still having to prove himself after having done so much for the Celtics. Whichever team he goes to, the harsh reality remains that he is a defensive liability and that isn't because of his fight or effort but instead because of his height.
The contract is also probably in accordance with the market that Isaiah had available to him. Although salary cap wise there were multiple teams that could have signed him, it's the basketball fit that matters more.
Miami Heat re-sign Wayne Ellington
Prior to free agency, Miami Heat's President of Basketball Operations - Pat Riley - mentioned in a press conference how it was going to be difficult for them to land any big name free agents considering where they are financially with their contracts.
According to earlier reports, the franchise hasn't been able to get rid of overvalued contracts in Hassan Whiteside and Tyler Johnson. Thus, it was imperative that Miami brings back as many free-agent role players that were key to their par season last year.
Wayne Ellington was one of them and according to ESPN's Chris Haynes, they have signed him up. The contract is set to be worth $6.2 million dollars for 1 year.
Nets trade Jeremy Lin to Hawks in 3-team trade
The Brooklyn Nets trade Jeremy Lin, a 2025 second-round pick and the rights to swap picks with the Atlanta Hawks in 2023 in exchange for a 2020 second round pick and the rights to Isaia Cordinier. ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski was the first to report this.
The Hawks drafted Trae Young with the third overall pick in this year's Draft and have now traded for Lin's $12.5 million expiring deal, which makes a Dennis Schroder trade all but inevitable, according to Woj.
Denver Nuggets shed salaries in a trade with Nets
While the Denver Nuggets stole the headlines by signing IT, they made another deal in the day - a salary dump.
The Nuggets traded Kenneth Faried, Darrell Arthur, a 2019 first-round pick and a 2020 second-round pick in exchange for the right to Isaiah Whitehead, whom they are reportedly going to waive.
While this a salary dump for Denver, this trade is yet another deal by the Nets' GM to garner picks, something they didn't have for the past four years. With them not really being very competitive on the floor and no huge financial commitments to any player, Brooklyn can continue to absorb contracts like these - Faried (expiring $13.7 million) and Arthur ( expiring $7.4 million) - in exchange for picks.
Houston interested in Nick Young
The Houston Rockets are interested in Nick Young, according to Mark Berman of Fox 26 in Houston. One wonders how they are going to make it work, not just financially but also from a basketball-fit perspective, given Young's questionable defense and with the possibility that he could play next to Melo.
Houston has already lost Trevor Ariza and Luc Mbah A Moute, two wings who could contribute on both sides of the floor and certainly Young cannot replace either of them.
Young's contract with the Golden State Warriors was only a 1-year deal worth $5.1 million and it's highly unlikely that they are going to sign him. They currently have a roster worth $140 million with 12 players already signed. To make matters worse for Young, the Warriors signed DeMarcus Cousins for the same salary that they signed him last year.
Guess the Lakers players!
