Photo by Rocky Widner/NBAE via Getty Images The 35 year-old 5’9” point guard has been in the G League. Now he’s back with the Suns. Once upon a time, the Phoenix Suns had an interesting roster dilemma. They had too many point guards. And then one day, that didn’t have enough. You may recall the 2014-15 Suns roster, which is now nine years in the rearview mirror. GM Ryan McDonough had stock-piled point guard talent, so much so that it became a struggle to provide everyone minutes. The team rostered Eric Bledsoe and Goran Dragic during the 2013-14 season, which was a year in which the team went 48-34. They finished in 9th place in the Western Conference, however, and did not make the postseason. After drafting T.J. Warren with the 14th overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft, McDonough made a trade with the Sacramento Kings. That trade was Alex Oriakhi for 24-year-old point guard Isaiah Thomas. The move was met with positivity at the time as Thomas was coming off of a season in which he scored 20.3 points and dished 6.3 assists. 
The plan was to have Eric Bledsoe and Goran Dragic start for Phoenix and then insert the spark plug Isaiah Thomas into the game to continue the energy and scoring. It sounded like a solid plan in theory, and we were all here for it. Then the 2014-15 season began. And Goran Dragic wasn’t happy. “I don’t trust them anymore,” Dragic said. “They give promises, OK. It’s hard. I just hit that point of my career that it’s better for me and my family to move on.” The Suns moved on from Dragic, but shockingly they moved on from Isaiah Thomas at the 2015 trade deadline as well. Phoenix, who was contending for the 8th spot in the Western Conference at the time, simply chose to blow it up and center their focus around just one point guard, Eric Bledsoe. We know how that story ended. They sent Thomas to the Boston Celtics. The journey for IT is well documented after this point. In three seasons with Boston, Thomas was a force in the postseason. He averaged 22.6 points and 6.3 assists in 25 postseason games with the Celtics. He became a two-time All-Star. But injuries derailed his career. He played five more seasons with seven different teams, last playing in 2022 with the Hornets. He recently signed a G League deal with the Utah Jazz in an effort to make a comeback. And here we are, once again a team lacking point guard depth. The Suns are making a move, signing the 35 year-old Thomas to a 10-day contract. IT is back: 11-year vet and two-time All-Star Isaiah Thomas is planning to sign a 10-day contract with the Phoenix Suns, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium. Thomas averaged 33 points on 45 percent 3-point shooting for Salt Lake City in the NBA G League, scoring 30 in four games. pic.twitter.com/4XrKEINKut— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) March 16, 2024 Thomas has played 3 games with the Salt Lake City Stars, averaging 32.0 points on 37.9/40.9/94.1 shooting splits. He has added 5.7 assists, 3.3 rebounds, and 1.3 steals in that time. “Ultimately I’m just fighting for an opportunity,” Thomas said of joining the G League affiliate. “I’m just trying to show teams that I’m still able to produce on the court, but I’m also most importantly, I’m able to teach these young guys.” https://www.youtube.com/embed/q63kH2wiQPY?rel=0
It’s surely a full-circle moment for the 5’9” Thomas, as well as the fan base that once would debate who the Suns should keep and part ways with. I was in the Bledsoe camp once upon an argument. He will fill a need the Suns possess, someone who can come in off the bench and provide bench minutes. Saben Lee has seen some run as of late and perhaps that run is over for the two-way guard. Welcome back, IT!
Source: https://www.brightsideofthesun.com/2024 ... h-the-team