The Phoenix Suns jettisoned Isaiah Thomas last year, and he went to become a first-time All-Star with the resurgent Boston Celtics this season.
The Suns, of course, turned into a flaming trainwreck this year and general manager Ryan McDonough says he wishes Thomas had never been dealt.
Thomas was agitating for a bigger role, something the Suns weren’t willing to accommodate.
Per Arizona Sports:
“I think in retrospect trading Isaiah Thomas when we did was a mistake,” he said of last season’s trade deadline deal with the Boston Celtics. “I think sometimes in the recruitment process things sound better in July (luring Thomas in free agency) than they do in November.
“He wanted more, he wanted a bigger role and I understand why: He’s a talented player,” McDonough added. “In retrospect, we should have carried him into the summer. If there’s one (decision) that stands out, if I could get a mulligan, that’d be it.”
Thomas made his first All-Star game with the Celtics after being dealt by Phoenix for Cleveland’s 2016 first-round draft pick and veteran guard Marcus Thornton. Phoenix didn’t keep Thornton over the summer and it’s unlikely a player taken late in the first round of this draft will be an All-Star.
