The Phoenix Suns are currently gearing up for what could be a consequential offseason for the future direction of the franchise. The team is widely expected to move on from Kevin Durant via a trade, and they'd certainly like to also move off of the contract of Bradley Beal, although that seems less likely.

There has been some question in recent years as to who is really calling the shots behind the scenes in Phoenix, as owner Mat Ishbia seems to be heavily involved with the basketball decision-making process.

Recently, Bill Simmons of The Ringer laid out a theory that NBA Hall of Famer Isiah Thomas, who Ishbia grew up watching in his native Michigan as a member of the Detroit Pistons, may also be influencing the Suns' process.

“If you're Mat Ishbia you have to look in the mirror and you wonder, wait that's Isiah Thomas standing right behind me. He doesn't even work for me,” said Simmons on his podcast. “Wait, he's my consigliere for some reason, but we're all pretending he's not. Boy there's some good stories about that one.”

Simmons also reported that “he FaceTimes in the meetings. He might have been in a coach interview, or two, or more. He was on FaceTime in the meeting.”

A strange time for the Suns

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While Isiah Thomas was a Hall of Fame player, he doesn't exactly have a great record as a basketball executive, as his stint with the New York Knicks in the 2000s went disastrously.

The Suns meanwhile have gone from arguably the NBA's most promising up and coming team a few years ago to now one of the most unenviable positions in the league, currently having the league's worst contract in Beal on their books and looking at a Durant return package this summer that will be significantly less than what they gave up to get him.

Whoever it is who's calling the shots for the Suns, they'll have some big decisions to make over the next few months.