Isaiah Thomas is rejoining the Phoenix Suns! He will sign a 10-day contract with the team

Once upon a time, the Phoenix Suns had an intriguing personnel conundrum. They had too many point guards. And then one day, that wasn’t enough. You may recall the Suns’ roster from 2014-15, which is now nine years old. GM Ryan McDonough had accumulated so much point guard talent that it became difficult to give everyone minutes.

During the 2013-14 season, the squad went 48-34 and included Eric Bledsoe and Goran Dragic on its roster. They finished ninth in the Western Conference, but failed not make the playoffs. After selecting T.J. Warren with the 14th overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft, McDonough traded with the Sacramento Kings.

The trade involved Alex Oriakhi for 24-year-old point guard Isaiah Thomas. The transfer was well received at the time, as Thomas had just finished a season in which he scored 20.3 points and distributed 6.3 assists.

The plan was for Eric Bledsoe and Goran Dragic to open for Phoenix, followed by Isaiah Thomas to add energy and scoring. It sounded like a decent strategy in principle, and we were all on board.

Then the 2014-15 season started. And Goran Dragic was not pleased.

“I don’t trust them anymore,” Dragic remarked. “They make promises, OK. It’s hard. I just reached the stage in my career when it is best for me and my family to move on.”

The Suns traded Dragic, but they also traded Isaiah Thomas during the 2015 trade deadline, which surprised many. Phoenix, which was competing for the eighth position in the Western Conference at the time, just decided to blow it up and focus solely on one point guard, Eric Bledsoe. We know how the story ended.

They traded Thomas to the Boston Celtics. Following this, the IT journey is carefully documented. In three seasons in Boston, Thomas was a postseason powerhouse. He averaged 22.6 points and 6.3 assists in 25 postseason games for the Celtics. He became a two-time All-Star.

However, injuries derailed his career. He went on to play five more seasons for seven different clubs, most recently with the Hornets in 2022. He recently signed a G League contract with the Utah Jazz in an attempt to make a return.

And here we are again, with a club that lacks depth at point guard. The Suns are making a move, signing Thomas, 35, to a 10-day contract.

Thomas has played three games for the Salt Lake City Stars, averaging 32.0 points on 37.9/40.9/94.1 shooting splits. He has 5.7 assists, 3.3 rebounds, and 1.3 steals in that time.

“Ultimately, I’m just fighting for an opportunity,” Thomas stated on 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.”

It’s undoubtedly a full circle moment for the 5’9″ Thomas and the fan base that used to debate who the Suns should keep and who they should let go. I was in the Bledsoe camp once during an argument. He will fit a need for the Suns: someone who can come in off the bench and provide minutes. Saben Lee has had some success recently, and it’s possible that his run is coming to an end.