As you may have heard, over this past weekend the Suns added some more talent to their already prolific backcourt after a sign and trade with the Kings sent Isaiah Thomas To Phoenix. Many might be questioning the move following Goran Dragic winning the 2014 Most Improved Player Award and being selected to the 2014 All-NBA Third Team and with Eric Bledsoe still on the market; but this trade all but guarantees that Phoenix will have a starting caliber guard on the court all game long. In my eyes, this move benefits the Suns a lot more than potentially trading away either Dragic or Bledsoe. There have been rumors of Phoenix potentially trading Dragic to the Pacers for big man Roy Hibbert, but this move sounds, what’s the term for it… ill-advised. Trading away a guard with tremendous upside for a center who went scoreless four times in the postseason the Suns are so desperately trying to get back to does not bode well for the Suns. For Indiana, if this move ever went through, it would be a fantastic move – not so much in Phoenix.
The Suns received Thomas for Alex Oriakhi, the 57th pick in the 2013 draft, in a sign and trade and locked him up with a fairly cheap (a 4 year deal worth around $27 million) following a breakout year. Thomas averaged 20.3 points, 6.3 assists, and 1.3 steals per game last season with Sacramento, all of those numbers being career highs for him. Despite his great season, the Kings still failed to make any noise in the Western Conference last year, so now Thomas will have the chance to fight for the postseason with the young Suns. Phoenix’s backcourt certainly looks to all be moving in the right direction with Dragic, Bledsoe, and Thomas all coming off of terrific seasons. Although the Suns have lost Channing Frye to Orlando, they were able to retain forward P.J. Tucker and by adding Thomas and keeping Tucker, this offseason should be looked at as an improvement period for the team. Not to mention, after the younger players (Goodwin, Warren, Len, Brown, and Ennis) get more experience playing together this summer, imagine how much more success this team can see come October.
In other words, as much as people want to scratch their heads over Phoenix hoarding as many skilled guards as they can get their hands on, their depth will make them a formidable opponent for any team in the NBA.