Phoenix Suns owner Mat Ishbia swears Isiah Thomas is not involved with the franchise in any way, yet Chris Paul implied in a recent New York Times interview that Thomas played a role in him being traded for Bradley Beal.
If Paul is correct–and we don’t expect the Suns to confirm if he is–Thomas’ influence has sparked concerns for a number of media members and NBA fans.
“I like Isiah Thomas, have enjoyed being on shows with him. But he has always been in the eye of storms: Bobby Knight, Bad Boy Pistons, vs MJ, CBA, Knicks. Even now, at 62. Now CP3 suggests Isiah influenced Suns owner to dump him???” tweeted Skip Bayless.
I like Isiah Thomas, have enjoyed being on shows with him. But he has always been in the eye of storms: Bobby Knight, Bad Boy Pistons, vs MJ, CBA, Knicks. Even now, at 62. Now CP3 suggests Isiah influenced Suns owner to dump him???
— Skip Bayless (@RealSkipBayless) June 20, 2023
“Chris Paul says Isiah Thomas had something to do with his Suns trade. If he did, that’s a problem,” added For The Win’s Mike Sykes.
Chris Paul says Isiah Thomas had something to do with his Suns trade. If he did, that’s a problem https://t.co/C0w5pbeo2Q pic.twitter.com/4XuqhDcfoJ
— For The Win (@ForTheWin) June 20, 2023
“So, to recap: the Suns got rid of an owner with a history of awful workplace culture and treatment of women. And they replaced him with an owner who is apparently empowering… Isiah Thomas?” chimed in Pablo Torre.
So, to recap: the Suns got rid of an owner with a history of awful workplace culture and treatment of women. And they replaced him with an owner who is apparently empowering… Isiah Thomas? https://t.co/TdRMENRxFc
— Pablo Torre 🏴☠️ (@PabloTorre) June 19, 2023
If Mat Ishbia wants to hire Isiah Thomas to run the Suns I have no problem with that, but it feels icky to have him in that role while denying credible reports from people like @ChrisBHaynes while Thomas is calling allegedly actually calling shots. https://t.co/QBOnh0D1z6
— Ryan Glasspiegel (@sportsrapport) June 19, 2023
Extremely smart of him to keep dropping that name bc it’s wild that Isiah is basically Ishbia’s shadow GM esp given Isiah’s track record and some of the issues the Suns dealt with under Sarver https://t.co/IIRZUcIhfc
— La Petit Darko Miličić is a BUST (@Less_HumbleTeej) June 20, 2023
No NBA player probably knows where more bodies are buried than Chris Paul. So when he expressed surprised and blame towards Isiah Thomas (a non-Suns employee) for being traded it raised mad eyebrows. Here’s why.
(@pointsbetusa x @countitpb) pic.twitter.com/2UiTg82dvb
— Kazeem Famuyide 🇳🇬 🍎 (@Kazeem) June 20, 2023
Thomas last worked in basketball in an official capacity as the team president of the WNBA’s New York Liberty from 2015-19.
He also has coaching stints with the Indiana Pacers (2000-03), New York Knicks (2006-08) and FIU (2009-12) and was the Knicks’ team president for multiple years before taking over the coaching reins.