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Should The Phoenix Suns Still Keep Isaiah Thomas?

By Gerald Bourguet

They Never stopped fighting over the ball. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
They Never stopped fighting over the ball. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports /
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We’ve all seen the cringe-worthy Goran Dragic quotes by now. Monitoring the Twitter feed this morning must have felt like watching some horrible blend of Game of Thrones‘ Red Wedding episode and Breaking Bad‘s “Ozymandias” for Phoenix Suns fans.

From the face of the franchise saying he no longer trusted the front office to fans who were loyal less than 24 hours ago going with the “Bye, Felicia” approach, it was just ugly.

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At this point, trading Dragic feels like the only option. Every minute that goes by moves the Suns closer to losing their prized free agent this summer for nothing. Tomorrow’s trade deadline represents general manager Ryan McDonough’s best chance to restore faith in this team’s future.

[Speaking of McDonough, he’s got to be Robb Stark in this GoT Red Wedding analogy. He’s never lost a battle, but he lost the war in brutally devastating fashion, and the Lannisters/Lakers send their regards.]

Before last night’s news broke that Dragic wanted out of Phoenix, the Suns were intent on re-signing the Dragon this summer. In theory, trading Isaiah Thomas was a course of action that would restore Dragic’s faith in management, it’d clear the backcourt logjam and the Suns would once again have the inside track to re-signing him, albeit it with an inflated deal.

Now, however, even if the Suns keep Dragic past the deadline and are able to offer him an extra year and $20 million-plus this summer, the damage of trust between the Dragon and the front office appears to be irreparable. If Gogi no longer trusts the front office, he will move on this summer to a situation where he can have the ball in his hands while making max-level money.

In fact, one quote from Dragic at practice this morning suggests that his trust took its first hit when the Suns brought in Eric Bledsoe:

For the record, I don’t think Dragic has an issue sharing the court with Bledsoe. But even if he does, let’s play devil’s advocate for a second here.

Last year, Dragic had a career year and led the Suns to a 48-win season while earning Third Team All-NBA honors and the Most Improved Player of the Year Award. Bledsoe was injured for half the season, but the two thrived in the backcourt together and Dragic was one of the more vocal advocates for Bledsoe returning to Phoenix.

Until Isaiah Thomas arrived, in other words, there had been no indication that Dragic was unhappy with his role.

This season, that’s been an issue for months. Whether he’s played alongside Bledsoe, IT or both, the ball hasn’t been in his hands. According to ESPN’s Tom Haberstroh (via SportVU), Dragic went from possessing the ball 6.4 minutes per game last season to 3.9 minutes per game this year — a 40 percent drop.

Dragic has had to play small forward in some lineups, tiring himself out on the defensive end and not getting enough touches on the other. He’s still shooting 50.1 percent from the field this season, but his numbers are down across the board and this season has been a far cry from his All-Star-worthy campaign last year.

All this dramatic change has come about in the course of a few months, and if you feel like a Ron Burgundy meme is appropriate, you aren’t wrong. But given this massive turnaround in such a short span, there’s the possibility the Suns might think this is all an elaborate bluff. And even if it isn’t, they might cling to hope they can change his mind anyway.

Let me explain. If the Suns continue to pursue their prior course of action and trade IT, that will be a big “Message received!” to Goran Dragic and his people. They know he’s unhappy and by trading Thomas, they could use the remainder of the regular season chasing a playoff spot and trying to repair a damaged relationship.

Keep in mind, a team with a very similar genetic makeup fell one game shy of the playoffs last year, and this season the Suns boast a vastly improved Alex Len, Markieff Morris and Eric Bledsoe.

There’s also the issue of money. Isn’t it possible this is all about driving Dragic’s free agency asking price through the roof? With reports that the Los Angeles Lakers and New York Knicks are prepared to offer him a four-year max around $80 million surfacing, this could very well be a ploy from his agents to get the Suns to panic-trade IT away and commit to giving him whatever he wants this summer.

It may not be the most ethical approach, but it’s certainly gotten everyone’s attention. The Suns no longer have any leverage in trade talks, which will make it harder to get fair value in a deal. It’d also be hard for Dragic to deny an extra year and $20 million, especially if that “distrustful” organization trades away the player hindering his touches and spends the rest of the season trying to repair the damage done.

If the Suns trade Dragic, whatever team acquires him gets his Bird’s Rights and therefore has the power to offer him that massive five-year, $100 million-plus deal we keep getting back to. But if they trade Thomas, they’re taking a stance — however foolish it might seem — in faith that things can go back to the way they used to be. According to Sean Deveney of The Sporting News, that’s what the Suns will try to do.

Deveney is the only one reporting that, however. And while the loyalty is commendable, it’s perhaps a tad misguided. Dragic’s remarks give the indication he’s ready to leave and the other reports have all noted that even if Thomas IS traded, that will remain the case.

The question then becomes, should the Suns keep Thomas even if they do move Dragic?

If Dragic is traded, Thomas would move into the starting lineup alongside Bledsoe. Lineups with Bledsoe and Thomas sharing the floor are +4.6 points per 100 possessions this season, per NBA.com, but is it possible saying goodbye to Dragic would convince McDonough to move away from dual point guard lineups altogether and reshape this roster?

Both Dragic AND Thomas are attractive trade assets, after all. The Dragon was one of the best point guards in the league last year and Thomas could help out a lot of teams in need of help at the point guard position. The Lakers, Knicks, Miami Heat, Indiana Pacers, Sacramento Kings, Houston Rockets and Boston Celtics are all interested in Dragic, but isn’t it possible some of those teams would settle for a consolation prize like IT?

We’ll get to what some potential Isaiah Thomas trades would look like a bit later, but suffice it to say that moving Dragic and IT would leave the team in rebuilding mode once again, with Bledsoe, the Morrii and Len holding down the fort until the younger players are ready to take the next step.

A Dragic trade likely kisses Phoenix’s playoff hopes goodbye anyway, so these are the questions that might keep McDonough up tonight: is it time to stockpile more assets and close the door on the 2014-15 season? Is it better to trade Dragic and keep IT in the hopes of making the postseason? Or do the Suns carry on, trade Thomas and pray they can restore Dragic’s faith in the Suns?

All very good questions. Not very many satisfying answers.

Next: Goran Dragic: How To Trade Your Dragon

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