Ishbia, Owner of the Suns, says Isiah Thomas Had Nothing to Do With Trading Chris Paul
Ishbia, Owner of the Suns, says Isiah Thomas Had Nothing to Do With Trading Chris Paul
Phoenix Suns owner Mat Ishbia has consistently denied Isiah Thomas having any connection to the team since his first press conference. Despite claims that Thomas was informally advising Ishbia and the other Suns’ executives (although that role may be reducing), no one appears to believe him despite the fact that Thomas is seated next to Ishbia when he snatches his ball and holds it from Joki in the Denver series.
Chris Paul, after being traded from the Suns to the Wizards (and then again, to the Warriors), said, “It’s is part of the business, and what you realise is that no one owes you anything.”
You learn the hard way that no one in this industry owes you anything, no matter how kind you are to them or what you do. My son texts me when it finally arrives, and I realise that Mat (Ishbia) and Isiah (Thomas) merely wanted to go in a different path.
Chris Paul doesn’t spout off like that by accident (not that it’s necessarily accurate; it’s just CP3’s take on things, but it wasn’t a slip).
Ishbia recently told Duane Rankin of the Arizona Republic that he had sought out Thomas for counsel but had denied any involvement in the Paul transaction.
Chris Paul’s trade has nothing to do with that. Chris Paul was an invaluable member of our team for many years; we were fortunate to have him. I wish him the best of luck in the future.
To what extent does Thomas have sway? That’s a great question. It’s impossible to tell from the outside since everyone, including Ishbia, is trying to paint the best possible picture of themselves.
Ishbia, as a business owner, would benefit from hearing from a number of advisors with contrasting points of view.
The more knowledge, the better. Thomas has a lot of admirers in the league, but his record as an NBA executive is underwhelming (to be polite). How much sway Thomas should have depends on how you feel about Thomas.
Ishbia bears ultimate responsibility. He listens to Ishbia and no one else. He is the team’s primary decision-maker, both financially and in terms of direction. It would be his own fault, not Thomas’s, if it didn’t succeed.
