PHOENIX — Despite getting swept in the Western Conference’s first round of the playoffs, the Phoenix Suns find themselves in new territory. For the first time under owner Mat Ishbia, they do not enter the offseason in transition, an organization looking for a new head coach.
In Year 1 on Ishbia’s watch, he replaced Monty Williams. In Year 2, he replaced Frank Vogel. In Year 3, it was Mike Budenholzer. After this season, no move was needed. The Suns are good with Jordan Ott, a bright spot in a 45-37 season that ended in the first round of the playoffs.
Ishbia and general manager Brian Gregory on Thursday met with the media at the Suns’ training facility to discuss the franchise’s direction. The session took on a different tone than in years past. The Suns like their identity and foundation. This was about building.
By most measures, this season was a success. Expected to finish near the bottom of the Western Conference, the Suns earned praise from opposing coaches about their toughness and competitive spirit. Although they faded over the second half, they still made the playoffs, where the Oklahoma City Thunder eliminated them in four games.
“I feel great about what we did this year,” Ishbia said. “But at the same time, I want more, we want more and we’re going to have more.”
Ishbia has never shied from grand promises. (This extends to other areas. The Suns will host the 2027 NBA All-Star Game, and Ishbia said it will be “the best of all time.”) But given Phoenix’s draft situation — the Suns hold the 47th pick in June’s draft and lack control of several future first-round picks — improving the roster will not be easy.
Last year’s buzzword was “alignment,” getting the front office, head coach and players all on the same page. This year’s word is “continuity,” an element the Suns have lacked because of coaching turnover and poorly constructed rosters. In 2024-25, Phoenix had the most expensive roster in the league with established stars Devin Booker, Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal. They still missed the postseason.
“We have a young, ascending team,” Ishbia said. “Where in years past we had players that were maybe on the decline, we have players that are getting better, and they’re going to continue to get better.”
Thursday’s themes:
Booker isn’t going anywhere
Ishbia usually says one thing that goes viral at these sessions. On Thursday, it had to do with the Suns possibly trading Booker, the face of the franchise and the organization’s career scoring leader. He shot that down quickly. “I’ll ride into a fire with Devin Booker,” Ishbia said.
In his 11th season, the 29-year-old Booker had a strong regular season, but Oklahoma City shut him down in the playoffs, which wasn’t so much the problem. The problem was that Booker seemed to accept it, a few times passing up the few open shots he did have just to keep the ball moving.
Over four games, Dillon Brooks and Jalen Green each had 20 more field-goal attempts than Booker, a five-time All-Star. Since then, local and national media have questioned the guard’s place among the game’s elite and whether the Suns might be better off trading him. Booker last summer signed a two-year maximum extension worth $132.4 million that keeps him in Phoenix through the 2029-30 season.
Devin Booker had another strong season that ended in disappointment. Mat Ishbia backed his star at Thursday’s season-end press conference. (Mark J. Rebilas / Imagn Images)
Asked if he would have liked for Booker to have forced his will more against the Thunder, Ishbia said he doesn’t need anything beyond what Booker demands from himself. Both Ishbia and Gregory pointed out the value of Booker’s court presence and how it generates opportunities for others. Booker this season ranked 10th in “average player gravity,” which essentially measures how much attention a player attracts. That contributed to career scoring seasons from Brooks, Grayson Allen, Royce O’Neale, Collin Gillespie and Jordan Goodwin.
“Devin Booker is a superstar player and our franchise player, and we’re going to continue to build around him exactly as we have been,” Ishbia said.
The Suns have confidence in the ‘Big 3’
The first thing Phoenix needs to do this summer is figure out if its core of Booker, Green and Brooks is worth keeping together. Results this season were mixed, at best. Mostly because of injuries.
Green sat out the bulk of the first half with a hamstring injury and ended up missing 50 regular-season games. Once he returned, Brooks fractured his wrist and missed 18 games in a row. Booker missed 18 games overall with ankle and other issues.
Even when healthy, the trio often lacked balance. With Green sidelined early in the season, Brooks emerged as a strong second scoring option and even received All-Star consideration for his improvement. He looked for his shot more, which the Suns sometimes needed — and sometimes did not. Brooks averaged a career-best 20.2 points on a career-high 17.1 shots per game and looked like Phoenix’s alpha during the playoffs.
Green (17.8 ppg) spent the second half trying to find his place in an offense that had mostly done just fine without him. It was not an easy transition. Green’s strength is attacking the rim and using his elite athletic ability, but the fifth-year guard often got caught over-dribbling while looking for an open driving lane, which slowed the offense.
Gregory said he expects the chemistry will improve with experience.
“One hundred percent,” the GM said. “You’re talking about three guys who are driven to become better, to do what is asked of them and help the team be successful to win. When you have that baseline, it puts you in a pretty effective spot to move forward.”
(By the way, Ishbia said he loved Brooks’ tenacity and “villain” persona. That includes the forward’s league-high 17 technical fouls. “I’d rather him not get suspended,” Ishbia said, “but I take him the way he is.”)
The importance of patience
Ishbia is not patient. That’s gotten him into trouble since he took control of the Suns in 2023. But he appears to have learned from those early mistakes. He talked often Thursday about the importance of development. Not just the team’s younger players like forward Rasheer Fleming and center Khaman Maluach, but the veterans as well.
That doesn’t mean the Suns won’t go star chasing. Ishbia said the Suns would listen and consider whatever comes their way. But unlike previous years, he seems committed to staying on this path. “Can we win more games?” he said. “Can we win a playoff series? That’s what we’re going to focus on. … I like the culture that we’ve built. We’re not going to do anything silly to mess that up.”
It’s one step. With a shaky second half, the Suns limped into the playoffs. Once there, they discovered how far they have to go. That reality hit hard.
“We can’t take a victory lap,” Ishbia said. “We’ve had one good year of developing towards the organization of where we want to be. We have to do it for two years. Then three. And then 10. And then 30. And then I’ll sit here and say, probably, ‘This is ingrained in who we are here as Phoenix Suns basketball.’ We’re on that path.”
