Suns owner Mat Ishbia said at the start of October that he felt Phoenix had the best team in the NBA. While injuries slowed down the Suns early in the season, they’ve won 13 of their last 17 games to move up to the No. 5 spot in the Western Conference at 32-22. Ishbia tells Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic that he feels just as good about the roster now as he did in October, especially after the trade-deadline additions of Royce O’Neale and David Roddy.
“We have our three star players and we also have a lot of other players who could be considered stars as well. We have a great all-around team. I love our team. I feel excited about what’s going on,” Ishbia said. “… We’re jelling. We’re playing our best basketball right now. Just because we had the best to start the season or felt like we had the best roster, doesn’t mean you can’t improve it. So we’re always going to try to improve things and that’s what we did I think with the addition of Royce and David.”
As Bobby Marks of ESPN observed after the trade deadline, 10 teams projected to be taxpayers a month ago and nine of those clubs either reduced their salaries or stood pat through the deadline. The Suns, who increased their projected tax bill by more than $13MM, were the only one of those 10 teams to add money.
“When we come to Mat with ideas and suggestions on saying, ‘Hey, let’s go trade for Royce O’Neale and David Roddy, but it’s going to add a significant amount of money to our tax bill and to this team,’ he says, ‘Hey, if it’s going to make us better, and the answer is yes, then let’s go do it,'” Suns CEO Josh Bartelstein told Rankin. “Many people don’t do that, especially at the trade deadline. You saw several teams shed money. We’re all in to win a championship and when you have an owner willing to do that and use any resource possible, it makes your job easier. You can go after the best players no matter where their salaries are at.”
Here’s more on the Suns:
- After Bradley Beal strained his left hamstring in Tuesday’s win over Sacramento, the Suns have ruled him out for their final game before the All-Star break on Wednesday vs. Detroit. There’s optimism it won’t be a long-term issue though, Rankin writes for The Arizona Republic. “They don’t think it’s too serious,” head coach Frank Vogel said. “Hopefully with the (All-Star) break right after, he doesn’t miss too much more time. We’ll see where he’s at.”
- In the latest episode of his podcast, Warriors forward Draymond Green ripped Suns center Jusuf Nurkic for his comments to reporters following Phoenix’s loss to Golden State on Saturday. “The little guy went into the media complaining like I did something to him as if he didn’t do the ‘too small’ celebration and then he starts to question my character,” Green said (hat tip to Rankin). “What a coward. You go questioning character about a basketball game you just lost that you got destroyed in. The only thing you should talk about his how you got punished.” Nurkic tweeted a reply accompanied by a crying-laughing emoji: “All good bad boy just don’t stay to long on podcast, gonna be late for therapy session.”
- Sources who spoke to Rankin disputed ESPN’s report stating that Sixers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey inquired on Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, and Beal prior to last Thursday’s trade deadline. Whether or not it happened ultimately doesn’t matter that much, since all three players were considered unavailable and remained in Phoenix.
- In case you missed it, the Suns officially announced today that they’ll have a G League affiliate of their own beginning in 2024/25. Phoenix is the final NBA team to secure an NBAGL affiliate.
Draymond and Nurkic are both total losers
I love how little self awareness is in this comment
Draymond has multiple rings,his own podcast and car insurance commercials so nooooo the loser is Lil d mvc aka uno.
Nah dude, draymond has all that and carries himself less maturely than my 4 year old, Nurk is a baby who whines all game but Draymond is the bigger loser because he acts so small
You’re so much of a better person talking smack about a total stranger on an internet comment section though. I’d wear your t shirt but I heard it only comes I XXXCMLL large
Talking smack about a total stranger on an internet comment section about talking smack to a total stranger. How ironic.
I like it.
Dude ? Do you have a mullet ?
More time with the kid son and less time stressful over dre and his antics.
Nurkic is just sooo pathetic!
Almost as pathetic as you and dray
All 3 of the Sun’s players discussed are ‘stars’ and that’s what Morey really wants… the trade marker didn’t have the High caliber star players Morey has been on the record saying he wants.
Are you lost? This is about the Suns not the 76ers.
Typical Draymond Green bullying and on the very edge of his control.
Unfortunately for suns fans it was Nurkic that was being the bully the other night. When Green fell on the ground Nurkic threw his whole body on top of Green. It was Nurkic taunting Green after scoring abbasket.
Unfortunately for basketball fans we instead have millionaires forcing us to listen to them argue about who is the most insecure
Nobody is forcing you
They are actually because the media flocks to these comments like flies on a turd and it’s posted over every news outlet, forcing me to look at it even as a headline.
Anything else you want to disagree with me on or are you ready to grow up?
I was never a fan of Nurkic. In Portland, he was always trying to be too cool. I think this is all about Draymond getting into his head. Nurkic just can’t handle somebody mocking him in public. And in this argument he was on shaky ground beforehand but now he goes off and says something about mental health. No matter what, from here, he’s going to have to backtrack. Poor move. He’s going to regret this rivalry.