A Phoenix radio host is calling Chris Paul out.
John Gambadoro, a sports radio host on 98.7 FM Arizona Sports, took to Twitter on Monday to quickly dismantle Paul’s claim on Isiah Thomas having a role in him being a part of the trade that brought Bradley Beal to Phoenix and sent the guard to the Wizards.
“Chris Paul insinuating that Isiah Thomas had a role in him getting traded to Washington is absurd,” Gambadoro tweeted. “From my understanding when the Suns brass met with Beal it was [GM] James Jones, [owner] Mat Ishbia, [coach] Frank Vogel and [CEO] Josh Bartelstein. Thomas was not a part of it.”
Gambadoro’s tweet comes after Paul revealed in an interview with the New York Times that the trade took him by “surprise,” as well as insinuated that Hall of Fame guard and former Knicks general manager may have had a role in the move.
“It’s just — it’s tough,” the 12-time All-Star said. “Seriously, it is part of the business, and what you realize is that no one owes you anything. No matter how you are with them or what you do, you realize that in this business, nobody owes you anything, as it should be.”
“But when it comes through and my son texts me, I realize that, you know, Mat and Isiah, I guess, just wanted to go in a different direction.”
Though Thomas does not hold an official role with the Suns organization, he and Ishbia are reportedly good friends and have even taken their friendship outside of the realm of basketball.
“I’ve called on him [Ishbia] quite frequently in the past to help me navigate some of our growing pains and likewise, so we have shared advice with each other. We’ve become very good friends,” Thomas told Crains Detroit in 2021.
Thomas also has been critical of Paul’s play style at times, dating back to 2015 when he was a Clipper and in his physical prime, but also a player who played it “safe” and over-thought his stats.