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Former Washington Husky point guard Isaiah Thomas has a new NBA home in the Arizona desert. ESPN reports that the dynamic guard has been traded to the Phoenix Suns. The sign-and-trade deal is for 4 years, $28 million and nets the Kings the rights to Suns 2013 second pick Alex Oriakhi as well as a $7 million trade exception.
At first blush, this is a curious acquisition by the Suns, who were already loaded at point guard, with Goran Dragic, Eric Bledsoe, Ish Smith, Tyler Ennis, and Archie Goodwin all on the roster. Adding Thomas to that mix seems almost guaranteed to push out Smith and seems to indicate that Bledsoe, a restricted free agent, may also be on the move.
The Suns heavily courted Thomas during free agency, hosting him for two days recently. It is doubtful that Thomas will start for them at first, but considering that Thomas has finished each of his three NBA seasons as his team's starting point guard, it is reasonable to expect he may make his case as a starter eventually. It will be interesting to see how Suns coach Jeff Hornacek manages minutes at guard this season.