Phoenix Suns sign former MVP candidate off the scrap heap
With the Suns having depth issues, the team has signed a former superstar. Does he have enough left in the tank to help them chase a title?
As the Phoenix Suns try to battle their depth and injury issues, the franchise has signed a former MVP candidate. According to Shams Charania of the Athletic, the Suns have signed Isaiah Thomas to a 10-day contract that will allow the squad to evaluate the guard's skills and fit on the squad.
Before this, Thomas was playing in the G league for the Salt Lake City Stars, averaging over 33 points per game. He finished fifth in the MVP voting in 2016-17 when he averaged 28.9 points and 5.9 assists per game for the Boston Celtics. Thomas was traded at the end of that season and a succession of injuries pushed him out of the NBA. Thomas last played in the NBA in the 2021-22 season, when he played 17 games for the Hornets.
While his G League stats are impressive for any level of professional competitive basketball, the reason that Thomas hasn't been on the NBA team is likely because of his extremely poor defense. While being 5-foot-9 in the real world would likely be considered quite tall, in the NBA world Thomas's height makes it hard for him to defend even the worst offensive players.
As Thomas continues to age and isn't the offensive machine that he once was, teams have a hard time justifying keeping him on their roster. The Suns are a franchise with clear depth issues which might make them desperate enough to take him on for the rest of the season.
Will Isaiah Thomas be able to stay on the Suns roster for the rest of the season?
To be quite honest, Phoenix might keep Thomas for the entire season. This is because the Suns just don't have any better options for a backup point guard. The squad could turn to Saben Lee but the guard just doesn't give enough output on the offensive side of the ball to be worth playing.
While the Suns might have found a backup point guard who they can center a second-team offense around, the franchise will need to feature Thomas for most of this offense if they want to justify his extremely poor defense. Teams will likely hunt Thomas on the other end of the court which will make it hard for the Suns to keep him on the court.
Even if Thomas doesn't stay with the squad for the rest of the season, the Suns will at least give him a chance in the final part of the season.
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