Robert Caplin for The New York Times
The Phoenix Suns pulled off another blockbuster trade in acquiring Bradley Beal from the Washington Wizards. After depth was an issue in the playoffs last season, the Suns are not fixing that at least right now. In the fallout of the trade, many are questioning the logic of this transaction. However, a closer look at the inner workings of the Suns’ organization shows that Isiah Thomas is having a heavy influence on the new owner.
Phoenix Suns And Isiah Thomas
Thomas is good friends with the new owner Mat Ishbia and in his introductory press conference, he stated that Thomas would not be given a position at the moment. A recent ESPN report seems to indicate that Thomas already has a role. Chris Paul was reportedly surprised by the trade and implied that Thomas had a hand in it. When you look at Thomas’ history as a general manager, this trade starts to make more sense.
New York Knicks Tenure
Isiah Thomas had an infamous run as the New York Knicks GM. He ran the team for four years and in that short time made more ridiculous trades than a 14-year-old playing NBA 2k. As you start to look at the trades there is a common thread through most of them. Thomas loves taking on giant bloated contracts. In a recent podcast, Ryen Rusillo talks about an interview that Thomas did where he said that collecting big contracts is okay because they become expiring. However, he fails to see the impact in the here and now.
Three Trades Of Doom Of Isiah Thomas
First, Isiah Thomas traded four expiring contracts for Jamaal Crawford and Jerome Williams. Those two players combined for $81 million on the payroll. He followed that up a couple of months later by trading Antonio McDyess, 2 first-round picks, cash, and some players (to make the trade work under the cap) to the Suns for Stephon Marbury, Penny Hardaway, and, of course, their bloated contracts.
Two years later he was at it again. Two years after acquiring Hardaway he traded his expiring for the massive contract of Steve Francis. It is worth noting that none of these acquisitions ended with the Knicks getting more wins. It was an expensive roster that grossly underachieved. You see the common thread though. Large contracts are being traded for even larger contracts.
Bradley Beal’s Contract
Beal signed a massive $251 million extension last season. This year he is due to make $46 million but by the 2026-27 season, he is $57 million. This is not great for a player that has been injured and is on the wrong side of 30. The new CBA also dooms this trade down the road. The Suns are going to have to hope that players are willing to come and play for chump change because they will have very little wiggle room with Kevin Durant and Devin Booker on the roster. Normally this would be where teams would hope to hit on some draft picks but the Suns don’t have any of those either.
Maybe this isn’t the last transaction of the offseason. DeAndre Ayton could be moved for a couple of pieces. Players could decide to join this team to hunt for a title. However, this trade signals one thing that should concern all Suns fans. Isiah Thomas has a pull within the organization. Whether it is in an official capacity or not, his fingerprints are all over this trade. If his advice continues to be taken, the Suns are in for a world of hurt.
