Sacramento Kings thank Isaiah Thomas (Photo)
By Bryan Rose
When the Sacramento Kings selected Isaiah Thomas as the 60th overall pick in the 2011 NBA Draft, few expected him to make an impact let alone force his way into the starting lineup. But that’s exactly what the pint-sized point guard did, quickly becoming a fan favorite in the California capital.
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For whatever reason though, the 5’9 guard just couldn’t appease the Sacramento Kings front office as they continued to search for a more defensively sound, bigger and taller guard. They thought they found one in Greivis Vasquez, only to trade him a few months after acquiring him in an offseason trade.
No matter who the Kings placed in front of Isaiah Thomas, he continually outshined them. In fact, he was so good the last pick in the ’11 draft secured a four-year, $28 million dollar contract with the Phoenix Suns on Friday afternoon via sign-and-trade.
Why the Sacramento Kings refused to commit to the ‘Hustlin’ Hustkie’ is a question many seem to want answered, but their loss appears to the be the Phoenix Suns gain.
Still, there doesn’t seem to be any bad blood between the two sides as not only did Isaiah Thomas thank the city, organization and fans but the Kings did the same.
Thomas later replied to the tweet, suggesting that he had a blast during his tenure with the Kings organization.
Certainly a classy way to go out on both of their parts, though I’d venture to guess most Kings fans were wishing they were congratulating Thomas on his new deal with their organization – not the Suns.