are there legs to the I. Thomas deal?

http://www.csnne.com/boston-celtics/celtics-ready-pounce-if-suns-deal-isaiah-thomas?p=ya5nbcs&ocid=yahoo




BOSTON -- When the Boston Celtics pulled off a pair of blockbuster deals to land Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett in 2007, both were available for reasons that the Celtics had no control over but were in position to take advantage of.

A similar situation might be brewing with the Phoenix Suns, who are likely to unload one of two point guards -- Goran Dragic or Isaiah Thomas -- by Thursday’s trade deadline.

If Suns management decides to unload Thomas, the Celtics will be among the teams to look closely at swinging a deal for the 5-foot-9 guard, a league source told CSNNE.com on Tuesday.

Last summer, one of the first calls made by Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge during the free agency period was to Thomas. Thomas later said Ainge and the Celtics were the first team to reach out to him during free agency, which ended with coming to terms on a four-year, $28 million sign-and-trade deal with Sacramento sending him to the Suns.

“It was an honor,” Thomas said of the call from Ainge. “Danny Ainge, the Boston Celtics, all the history here, the tradition. It was definitely an honor.”

The Suns are giving some thought to moving Thomas due to the impending free agency of Dragic. Moving Thomas will increase the likelihood that Dragic would re-sign with the club this summer.

Also keep in mind that the Suns general manager is Ryan McDonough, a former assistant GM in Boston. And McDonough has already done a pair of deals with the Celtics this season.

In January, the Celtics traded Brandan Wright to Phoenix, and later that month Boston, as part of a three-team deal that included the Suns, sent Austin Rivers to the Los Angeles Clippers to play for ex-Celtics coach Doc Rivers . . . who is also Austin’s father.

The potential addition of Thomas would create a logjam of sorts in the Celtics backcourt, but any deal acquiring him would likely mean the Celtics shipping out at least one of its guards -- possibly Marcus Thornton, who could potentially deliver similar impact for the Suns and, at 6-foot-4, more versatility on the defensive end of the floor.

And as far as Thomas’ impact on rookie point guard Marcus Smart, Thomas would likely be used as a high-impact scorer off the bench -- a role he currently serves with the Suns while averaging an impressive 15.2 points per game -- while Smart would remain with the starters.











A. Sherrod Blakely serves as Comcast SportsNet's NBA Insider

Thomas would also serve the same purposes I'd envision for Ty Lawson if he became a Celtic...giving Marcus Smart a lot of practice reps against speedy competition.  He'd certainly give new meaning to the term "going small."

Sam