Sacramento Kings rumors: Isaiah Thomas never asked for a trade

Many were surprised when the Sacramento Kings pursued Los Angeles Clippers’ point guard Darren Collison and eventually signed him rather than focusing on restricted free agent point guard Isaiah Thomas. Thomas instead wound up being dealt to the Phoenix Suns in a sign and trade.

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Thomas is happy in Phoenix but he never demanded a trade in the offseason.

“No, I didn’t,” Thomas told Jeff Caplan of NBA.com when asked he ever asked the Kings for a trade. “I never asked. I was always professional about every situation. I always came in with my hard hat on willing to do whatever is best for the team. When they signed Darren Collison, I knew I was going in a different direction.”

Their pursuit of Collison gave Thomas the heads up he wasn’t wanted, which is why he visited the Suns in the first place.

“They went after Darren Collison, which they felt was a better feel for whatever direction they’re going in,” Thomas said. “I just felt like I needed to go somewhere where I was wanted and Phoenix was a place where they wanted me for who I was. They wanted me for being 5-9. They wanted me for being a scoring point guard.”

Thomas averaged 20.3 points, 6.3 assists, 2.9 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game last season while shooting 45.3% from the field, 34.9% from beyond the arc and 85.0% from the free throw line last season. In his three-year career, he’s put up 15.3 points, 4.8 assists, 2.5 rebounds and 1.0 steals per game while shooting 44.7% from the floor, 36.0% from three and 85.7% from the charity stripe.

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