Phoenix reportedly preferred trading Isaiah Thomas rather than Goran Dragic.
Why not both?
Not only did they deal Dragic to the Heat, the Suns sent Isaiah Thomas to the Celtics.
Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports:
Phoenix has traded Isaiah Thomas to the Boston Celtics, league source tells Yahoo Sports.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) February 19, 2015
For Isaiah Thomas, Boston will send Marcus Thornton and a 2016 first-round pick via Cleveland to Phoenix, league source tells Yahoo Sports.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) February 19, 2015
The Celtics, loaded with draft picks, are beginning to put them to use.
The Cleveland pick they traded is top-10 protected in 2016, 2017 and 2018 and unprotected in 2019. As long as LeBron James remains healthy, it’s hard to see that pick having much value.
Not only is Thomas a solid point guard, he’s also locked into a contract that pays fewer than $7 million each of the next three years. That cheap salary will allow the Celtics to spend elsewhere.
Brandon Knight is the key new piece in Phoenix’s backcourt, but Marcus Thornton can also provide a little scoring punch. This is mostly about the draft pick for the Suns, though.