Chris Paul blames NBA legend for trade from Suns

When Suns owner Mat Ishbia bought the team in February, the team denied a report that the Suns were hiring Thomas. Though he’s a friend of Ishbia, Thomas had a spotty history as an executive with the New York Knicks. This included a serious sexual harassment claim against Thomas which resulted in an $11.6M settlement.

That’s notable because Ishbia bought the team after Robert Sarver was suspended and forced to sell due to racism and misogyny in the Suns organization.

Now Paul implies that Thomas has a strong voice in the Suns organization, despite not officially working for the team. He said he found out about the trade after a text from his son — not from Ishbia or general manager James Jones.

Paul twice told Sopan Deb of the New York Times that “Mat and Isiah” wanted to go in a different direction. He at least believes that the Hall of Fame point guard has Ishbia’s ear.

For his part, Ishbia didn’t rule out hiring Thomas when asked twice about in February. And Ishbia’s first two big moves — trading a lot of draft picks for aging All-Stars — match the kind of moves Thomas was notorious for in New York. Whether it was trading for Stephon Marbury, Steve Francis or Jalen Rose, Thomas never saw a high-priced star he wouldn’t mortgage the future for.

Regardless, Chris Paul is out in Phoenix. And it seems like, officially or not, Isiah Thomas is in.