Chris Paul says Isiah Thomas was involved in Suns owner Mat Ishbia’s decision to trade him to Wizards

The Phoenix Suns and Washington Wizards are going to glance an entire lot other subsequent season after the 2 facets agreed to a trade that can ship Chris Paul to D.C., with Bradley Beal headed to the Valley of the Sun. The precise framework of the deal nonetheless wishes to be ironed out, however the Wizards will probably be getting Paul, Landry Shamet, more than one second-round alternatives and more than one pick out swaps. The Suns get Beal, Jordan Goodwin and and Isaiah Todd in the deal, however Beal is the most obvious draw to bolster an already potent offensive assault in Phoenix that comes with Devin Booker and Kevin Durant.

Paul may just nonetheless be rerouted to a unique group, with reviews suggesting a reunion with the Los Angeles Clippers as an opportunity. However, the deal taking place in any respect stuck the veteran All-Star guard via marvel, as he first discovered in regards to the deal from his 14 12 months previous son.

“It’s just — it’s tough,” Paul mentioned in an interview with the New York Times. “Seriously, it is part of the business, and what you realize is that no one owes you anything. No matter how you are with them or what you do, you realize that in this business, nobody owes you anything, as it should be. But when it comes through and my son texts me, I realize that, you know, Mat [Ishbia] and Isiah [Thomas], I guess, just wanted to go in a different direction.”

Paul mentioned that he had talked to Suns president James Jones just lately, and when requested if he was given any indication that he was going to get traded to the Wizards, Paul mentioned he was “surprised.” The 12-time All-Star additionally mentioned on a number of events that group owner Mat Ishbia and Isiah Thomas sought after to move in a unique course, suggesting that possibly Thomas does have some decision-making energy in spite of the Suns refuting that previous in the season. 

Ishbia and Thomas have a shut friendship that extends into the industry international, and after Ishbia was the owner of the Suns in February there have been reviews suggesting that the Hall of Fame basketball participant would have a “prominent role” in the entrance administrative center. However, in a while after the ones reviews surfaced, a spokesperson for Ishbia refuted that preliminary document, pronouncing “Thomas won’t have a position in the team’s front office, and isn’t part of the team transition.”

With Paul pronouncing on multiple instance that “Mat and Isiah wanted to go in a different direction,” it means that Thomas no less than helps advise Ishbia on roster strikes, in spite of what he and the Suns mentioned again in February. If Thomas does have some form of position in the entrance administrative center, it is unclear what that will be given Jones is the president and normal supervisor of the group. However, Ishbia did not rent Jones, that was a transfer from the former regime, so if Thomas is already serving to make choices in regards to the roster, possibly a place in the entrance administrative center might be at the horizon for him.