Chris Paul may have let something notable slip on his way out of Phoenix.
The veteran guard Paul, who was just traded to the Washington Wizards in the Bradley Beal blockbuster, opened up about the move in an interview this week with the New York Times’s Sopan Deb. During the interview, Paul made multiple references to “Mat and Isiah” wanting to go in a different direction.
Paul was obviously talking about new Suns owner Mat Ishbia and Basketball Hall of Famer Isiah Thomas, who is close with Ishbia. It was reported back in February (soon after Ishbia took over control of the Suns) that Thomas had landed a “prominent” role in the Phoenix front office. After receiving backlash, Ishbia said publicly that Thomas didn’t have a role with the team. But that didn’t end the continued speculation, and Thomas was even sitting next to Ishbia in the stands during Ishbia’s infamous incident with Nikola Jokic during the NBA playoffs.
Deb notes that neither the Suns nor Thomas responded to a request for comment about Paul’s remarks. You can read Paul’s full interview here.
Ishbia is a Michigan native who grew up in the greater Detroit area when Thomas was starring for the Pistons. But Thomas having any sort of big influence on the Suns these days, especially with Paul seemingly talking about Thomas as if he was Ishbia’s right-hand man, would create some troubling optics. Thomas hadn’t previously had another job in the NBA since his disastrous tenure as head coach and president of the New York Knicks (during which Thomas faced a major sexual harassment suit). That is a problematic look for Ishbia and the Suns, particularly since prior owner Robert Sarver was essentially ousted for similar misdeeds of his own.
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