The Phoenix Suns made a surprising roster move that caught everybody off-guard late last week, when they announced they were bringing in former point guard Isaiah Thomas on a 10-day contract. The 35-year-old even saw some action in the win over the Philadelphia 76ers, checking into the game to great reception and playing two minutes.
Why the Suns went out and got Thomas is puzzling though, as it goes some way to suggesting that the organization don't think they have two players in Devin Booker and Bradley Beal who can share the ball-handling and creating responsibilities. To add to this, the team so far this season rank 25th in turnovers per game, at a shade under 15 each night.
In the aftermath of the win over the 76ers however, head coach Frank Vogel was quick to dismiss the role Thomas is going to have with this group.
Whereas the potential was maybe there for Thomas to play alongside Booker or Beal for a handful of minutes each night - which in turn would have freed both of them to attack and score more - that is not how Thomas is going to be used. In fact, as long as this roster is healthy, Thomas isn't going to be used at all, as coach Vogel told the assembled media;
"He's here for depth. When we're at full strength, he won't be in the rotation. So if we stay at full strength he may not come on the floor for us in his 10 days. He's someone that we trust, we value his game and if we have injuries/foul trouble to Book or Brad in particular, then we got to look at the point guard depth and he comes into play at that point."Frank Vogel on Isaiah Thomas
That is not what Thomas will want to hear, although the Suns have had Booker and Beal especially miss their fair share of time so far this season through injury. If that were to happen to either of them again so close to the postseason, it would be a disaster for the organization. So bad in fact that Thomas or any other player the Suns could have gotten wouldn't soften the blow.
Welcome back, @isaiahthomas! 🤩 pic.twitter.com/o6tDvluK7s
— Phoenix Suns (@Suns) March 21, 2024
The addition of Thomas also throws up the question of why exactly the team went and got him, when they could have gotten a younger and more physically imposing player who isn't likely to play unless absolutely necessary anyway? Make no mistake, it is amazing to see Thomas back in the league and as a person there are few who deserve this opportunity more than him.
But the timing and fit is weird from the perspective of the franchise. Would that last roster spot not have been better spent on another capable defender? If rough losses to the Boston Celtics and Milwaukee Bucks on their recent four-game road trip have shown us anything, it is that this version of the Suns are not good enough defensively to win a championship.
The organization even went out and got another veteran in Thaddeus Young through the buyout market, and to this point he has only played four games. Two of those games combined equated to five minutes of action. With Drew Eubanks a limited backup center and Young still struggling to take minutes from him, it seems like a waste at this moment to have both Thomas and Young here.
Not that Thomas will care, because all he ever wanted was an opportunity. Given how the Suns' injury luck has gone this season as well, he could yet get a bigger chance than coach Vogel envisions because as things stand, he is unlikely to insert Thomas into another NBA game unless he absolutely has to.