Whether he intended to or not, Chris Paul set off a wildfire after he made a stunning reveal. Paul was involved in a blockbuster trade that sent the Phoenix Suns star to the Washington Wizards. The longtime veteran expressed surprise about the trade in an interview with the New York Times. He also might have let the cat out of the bag on who’s calling the shots in Phoenix.
Sopan Deb, who wrote the article for the New York Times, posted the back-and-forth he had with Paul. As far as the trade goes, Paul said, “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.”
Isiah, of course, refers to Isiah Thomas.
https://twitter.com/SopanDeb/status/1670867908858085440
Extenuating issues with this reveal make it so shocking and, in part, uncomfortable. Thomas has an NBA coaching and executive background. But there’s a reason why he isn’t, or at least wasn’t previously involved with front offices. In 2007, a judge ruled in favor of a complaint against Thomas that he sexually harassed an executive with the New York Knicks. Thomas was the team’s President and GM in what’s remembered as a disastrous tenure in New York City.
As Deb also noted, Suns owner Mat Ishbia appeared to deny that Thomas had any tangible involvement with the team. But with Paul’s reveal, does that mean he was lying? More questions have appeared to emerge to the surface than answers, which could be troubling for the Suns and for the NBA.
About Chris Novak
Chris Novak has been talking and writing about sports ever since he can remember. Previously, Novak wrote for and managed sites in the SB Nation network for nearly a decade from 2013-2022