Chris Paul appeared to be trying to make it clear who was the one really calling the shots in Phoenix these days.
In a new interview with the New York Times that was published on Monday, Paul said he was “surprised” by the trade that sent him from the Suns to the Washington Wizards and intimated that former Knicks executive Isiah Thomas was part of the decision-making process.
Thomas and Suns owner Mat Ishbia are good friends, but the Hall-of-Famer does not have any official role with the team.
Paul said that he found out about the trade in a text from his son while the NBA star was on a plane to New York.
“It’s just — it’s tough. Seriously, it is part of the business, and what you realize is that no one owes you anything,” Paul said in the interview. ‘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 and Isiah, I guess, just wanted to go in a different direction.”
It was one of three times during the course of the conversation that Paul mentioned “Mat and Isiah” in the same breath when it came to decisions being made by the Suns.
The news was an even bigger surprise since Paul had said he had spoken with James Jones, the Suns’ president of basketball operations and general manager, the day prior and he had been optimistic that he’d stay in Arizona.
“Like I said, Mat and Isiah, they want to go in a different direction. But my time there has been amazing. You know what I mean? It’s been great. And so, get back to work,” Paul said.
Paul’s comments regarding Thomas’ role in the blockbuster deal that became public on Sunday is sure to raise eyebrows across the league.
There had been a report back in February by Bleacher Report’s Chris Haynes that Thomas would “have a prominent role in the front office,” but those were shot down.
During his introductory press conference, Ishbia even said that the Suns did not have plans to hire Thomas for any role.
The two have been good friends and have been spotted together at Suns home games during the regular season and during the playoffs.
Ishbia and Thomas’ friendship goes beyond the basketball court into the business world.
“I’ve called on him quite frequently in the past to help me navigate some of our growing pains and likewise, so we have shared advice with each other. We’ve become very good friends,” Thomas told Crains Detroit in 2021.
Though it seems that perhaps the Hall-of-Fame hooper is now helping Ishbia navigate the NBA world.
Thomas has not worked for an NBA franchise since his disastrous run as president and coach of the Knicks came to an end in 2008 after four drama-filled seasons on and off the court.
The Knicks went 112-216 in the four seasons that Thomas ran the club and a dismal 56-108 in the two seasons that he was coach.
Thomas’ tenure as an executive was marred by bad roster decisions and a 2007 sexual harassment lawsuit that cost Madison Square Garden $11.6 million after a jury found in favor of former executive Anucha Browne Sanders.
He did return to Madison Square Garden in 2015 as president of the New York Liberty, a position he held until February 21, 2019 when James Dolan sold the WNBA team to Joe Tsai.
