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#Chris Paul found out he’d been traded to Wizards while on plane; says Isiah Thomas was part of decision [Video]

Chris Paul has been playing professional hoops for 18 seasons, but even he can still be surprised by the twists and turns of the NBA.

The Phoenix Suns reportedly pulled off a blockbuster trade Sunday, sending Paul and Landry Shamet to the Washington Wizards in exchange for star Bradley Beal. While Paul met with the Suns after the season ended and knew that a trade was a possibility, he apparently wasn’t expecting anything to happen when it did.

Paul told “Good Morning America” on Monday he was “surprised” by the trade and found out he’d be going to the Wizards while he was in the middle of a cross-country flight.

He was actually on the flight that would take him to New York to be on “Good Morning America,” which had been scheduled earlier so Paul could promote his new book, “Sixty-One: Life Lessons from Papa, On and Off the Court.”

Later Monday, in an interview with The New York Times, Paul cited “a different direction” that new Suns owner Mat Ishbia and Isiah Thomas, who Ishbia has said does not have a role with the Suns after reports surfaced the Hall of Fame point guard would assume a “prominent” front-office role, wanted to take.

“It’s just — it’s tough. 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,” Paul told The New York Times.

“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.”

Paul referenced “Mat and Isiah” three times in the Times interview.

Paul is ready to figure out “what’s next” for him, but right now he can’t do that. And that’s because no one knows where he’ll actually end up.

The Wizards are reportedly planning to reroute him to another team instead of keeping him and will listen to offers this week to help Paul get to a contending team. It’s possible that contending team could be the Los Angeles Clippers, where Paul played from 2011-17. According to TNT and Bleacher Report’s Chris Haynes, the Clippers are interested in a reunion with their former star.

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