Suns Rumors

Pacific Notes: Lakers, Hachimura, Suns, Clippers

May 20th, 2025 at 12:00pm CST by Eli Cohen

The Lakers already made their big move of the year by trading for Luka Doncic mid-season. Now, after a five-game playoff run that ended with a loss to the Timberwolves, the team has to figure out how to build the team around him, writes Yossi Gozlan of The Third Apron (Substack link).

The critical pieces this summer will be the player options for LeBron James and Dorian Finney-Smith. James is reportedly not expected to take a discount deal in what will likely be his last contract, and while he’s expected to return to Los Angeles, it’s not a certainty.

The Lakers could use a mid-range deal like Gabe Vincent‘s $11.5MM or Maxi Kleber‘s $11MM, along with Shake Milton‘s non-guaranteed deal, to bring in a starting big man, but with only one tradable first-round pick available, the return will likely be modest unless the team is willing to include a young player like Dalton Knecht, Gozlan notes.

Finney-Smith has a $15.4MM player option. He is extension-eligible and serves a valuable role as the Lakers’ best wing defender. Austin Reaves is also extension-eligible, but the limitations on what L.A. can offer him make it unlikely a deal gets signed. Finally, Doncic himself will be able to sign an extension on August 2 worth up to a maximum of $229MM over four years.

We have more from around the Pacific division:

Rui Hachimura was named a Lakers starter by new head coach J.J. Redick in the fall and he repaid that trust with a strong, well-rounded season, writes Khobi Price of the Orange County Register. His shooting, rebounding, and defense were crucial for a team without much depth on the wing. However, with one year and $18.3MM left on his contract, if an extension isn’t reached this summer, Hachimura’s name will likely come up in trade talks as the Lakers look to build a future-facing roster around Doncic.
The second round of interviews for the Suns‘ head coaching vacancy will begin this week, reports John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 FM Phoenix (via Twitter). Phoenix has reportedly narrowed its search down to nine candidates: Sean Sweeney, Micah Nori, Steve Hetzel, Dave Bliss, James Borrego, David Fizdale, Johnnie Bryant, Jordan Ott, and Chris Quinn. The names are interesting for such a veteran team, as only Borrego and Fizdale have previous NBA head coaching experience. The Suns hope the new coach can help build a program from scratch while aligning with owner Mat Ishbia.
The Suns are facing another lawsuit, the fourth in seven months from a current or former member of the organization, writes ESPN’s Baxter Holmes. The suit, filed on behalf of Gene Traylor, the team’s director of safety, security, and risk management, alleges discrimination, harassment, and retaliation following a presentation by Traylor of risks to the team’s reputation or security. It also alleges that the team discouraged him from taking leave after a cancer diagnosis. “Ms. [Sheree] Wright and her client have made absurd accusations of misconduct surrounding the security department of the Phoenix Suns,” a Suns spokesperson responded to ESPN. Traylor’s team, in response, has claimed that the Suns are trying to publicly discredit Wright, who is on Traylor’s legal team, in an effort to shift focus from their own culpability.
The Clippers will enter the summer with 13 players under contract, Gozlan writes in his offseason preview (Substack link). Much of the offseason revolves around the player options of James Harden and Nicolas Batum, who has stated that next year will likely be his last season. After a very successful regular season, Harden is expected to decline his option and look for a pay bump, and Gozlan suggests aligning his contract with Kawhi Leonard‘s on a two-year deal could make the most sense for both sides. The Clippers can sign Harden for up to four years, but in that case it’s likely the last two years would be at least partially non-guaranteed, Gozlan writes. The Clippers will also have access to the $14.1MM non-taxpayer mid-level, with which they could add another veteran. The team could also try to sell high on Norman Powell, who is coming off a career year and is extension-eligible.

Suns Narrow Down Coaching Search To Nine Candidates

May 18th, 2025 at 2:06pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

2:06 pm: Heat assistant Chris Quinn has also moved onto the second stage of Phoenix’s coaching search, reports Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Twitter link).

1:17 pm: The Suns appear to be narrowing down their search for their fourth head coach in as many seasons.

According to veteran NBA insider Chris Haynes (YouTube video link), new Phoenix general manager Brian Gregory has selected eight candidates to advance to the second round of the process. Previous reporting indicated that the Suns had initial conversations with between 15 and 20 candidates.

As Haynes details, that eight-man group consists of Mavericks assistant Sean Sweeney, Suns assistant David Fizdale, Pelicans assistant James Borrego, Cavaliers assistants Johnnie Bryant and Jordan Ott, Nets assistant Steve Hetzel, Timberwolves assistant Micah Nori, and Thunder assistant Dave Bliss.

Among these eight finalists, only Fizdale and Borrego have prior head coaching experience on their resumes.

As Haynes notes, Fizdale previously turned down a head coaching offer from former Suns owner, Robert Sarver, instead accepting an ill-fated gig as the head coach of the Knicks, which lasted just over a year. All told, Fizdale has a cumulative 71-134 regular season record during his stints with the Grizzlies and Knicks. He led Memphis to one playoff berth during his debut season as the team’s head coach.

Borrego was the interim head coach in Orlando for the end of the 2014/15 season, and served as the head coach with Charlotte from 2018-22. He boasts a 148-183 overall regular season record and has yet to lead a team to the playoffs.

Reports earlier this spring indicated that Phoenix would likely be targeting a younger head coach following brief stints with Frank Vogel and Mike Budenholzer at the helm. As Haynes observes, this group of names is consistent with that aim — 51-year-old Nori and 50-year-old Fizdale are the oldest of the eight candidates, most of whom are in their 30s and early 40s.

The Suns brass is hoping their next coach can “build a program from scratch,” according to Haynes, who says the team is emphasizing discipline, accountability, and a philosophical alignment with majority owner Mat Ishbia and the front office. Phoenix is also prioritizing coaching candidates with defensive backgrounds.

A coach who can effectively work with star players is another important consideration, even if the Suns ultimately move on from Kevin Durant, Bradley Beal, and/or even Devin Booker in the near future. According to Haynes, the head coaching decision may have an impact on how the team moves forward with its stars, since it’s possible Budenholzer’s replacement will have a preexisting relationship with one or more of those players or will hit it off quickly with them.

The expectation is that the Suns will eventually reduce their coaching candidate pool from eight candidates to three finalists, reports Marc Stein of The Stein Line (Substack link).

2025 NBA Draft Picks By Team

May 16th, 2025 at 1:19pm CST by Luke Adams

The Nets and Jazz were among the teams who left Monday’s draft lottery disappointed, as Brooklyn slipped two spots to No. 8 while Utah, the NBA’s worst team during the 2024/25 season, ended up at No. 6.

Still, while they won’t be picking as high in the lottery as they might like, the Nets and Jazz will enter this year’s draft armed with plenty of ammunition. Brooklyn controls a league-high five 2025 draft picks, including four first-rounders and an early second-rounder. Utah, meanwhile, is one of just two teams (along with the Magic) controlling four picks in this year’s draft, including a pair of first-rounders.

Four other clubs – the Spurs, Hornets, Wizards, and Thunder – own three picks apiece, so those seven teams combine to control 25 of the 59 selections in the 2025 draft.

In addition to those teams with three or more picks, 12 more clubs own a pair of 2025 draft selections, while another 10 control one apiece. That latter group includes the Mavericks, whose No. 1 overall pick is their only selection in this year’s draft.

That leaves just a single NBA team without a draft pick this year: the Nuggets. Denver traded its 2025 first-rounder to Orlando back in 2021 as part of a package for Aaron Gordon in a deal that has worked out exceedingly well for the 2023 champions and sent out its 2025 second-rounder last offseason in a Reggie Jackson salary-dump. The Nuggets could still trade into this draft, but for now they’re the only team on track to sit it out.

To present a clearer picture of which teams are most – and least – stocked with picks for the 2025 NBA draft, we’ve rounded up all 59 selections by team in the space below. Let’s dive in…

Teams with more than two picks:

Brooklyn Nets (5): 8, 19, 26, 27, 36
Utah Jazz (4): 5, 21, 43, 53
Orlando Magic (4): 16, 25, 46, 57
San Antonio Spurs (3): 2, 14, 38
Charlotte Hornets (3): 4, 33, 34
Washington Wizards (3): 6, 18, 40
Oklahoma City Thunder (3): 15, 24, 44

Teams with two picks:

Philadelphia 76ers: 3, 35
Toronto Raptors: 9, 39
Houston Rockets: 10, 59
Chicago Bulls: 12, 45
Atlanta Hawks: 13, 22
Minnesota Timberwolves: 17, 31
Indiana Pacers: 23, 54
Boston Celtics: 28, 32
Phoenix Suns: 29, 52
Los Angeles Clippers: 30, 51
Memphis Grizzlies: 48, 56
Cleveland Cavaliers: 49, 58

Teams with one pick:

Dallas Mavericks: 1
New Orleans Pelicans: 7
Portland Trail Blazers: 11
Miami Heat: 20
Detroit Pistons: 37
Golden State Warriors: 41
Sacramento Kings: 42
Milwaukee Bucks: 47
New York Knicks: 50
Los Angeles Lakers: 55

Teams with no picks:

Denver Nuggets

Pacific Notes: Curry, Warriors, Suns, Durant, Lakers

May 15th, 2025 at 9:56pm CST by Earnest Marshall

Stephen Curry is excited about the prospect of running it back with Jimmy Butler and Draymond Green next season after that tandem played playoff-level basketball over the final portion of the season, ESPN’s Ohm Youngmisuk writes.

The Warriors took Game 1 of the second round of the playoffs against the Timberwolves, but Curry was injured in that game and did not return for the rest of the series.

“Our contracts — me, Draymond, Steve, Jimmy — are all two years [more],” Curry said. “And we want this ride to last as long as possible. But it’s just about what does this team need for next year, answering those questions over the summer, everybody preparing themselves individually to get through another 82-game season hopefully with a little bit more of a comfort room down the stretch where we don’t have to have a two-month gauntlet just to make the playoffs.”

Regardless of what direction the team takes this offseason, Green believes Golden State got the hardest part of the team-building process over by acquiring Butler

“It’s harder to get guys like that through trades, through free agency,” Green said. “It just doesn’t come up often. That part is done. It puts us in a much better situation going into this offseason than last year where we were kind of looking for that.”

We have more from the Pacific Division:

This offseason is a pivotal one for the Suns. After they hire their next head coach, it seems likely they’ll explore the trade market for Kevin Durant, Keith Smith of Spotrac writes in his offseason preview. Smith opines that the team should at least look into fully resetting but is more likely to try to retool around Devin Booker. Any Durant trade should return multiple rotation players on smaller salaries, and potentially draft assets to replenish a depleted collection of future picks. A smaller decision worth monitoring is what the team does with Vasilije Micic‘s $8.1MM team option. Exercising that would give the team another decent salary to include in trades, Smith notes, but declining it could create significant tax savings.
Durant won the Professional Basketball Writers Association’s Magic Johnson Award for 2024/25, per a press release. The award honors a player who best combines on-court skill with grace in dealing with media and fans. Durant also won the award in 2010/11. “We’re really pleased to honor KD again,” said PBWA president Howard Beck. “Kevin has long been one of the NBA’s most thoughtful and accessible stars. He always makes time for reporters, whether for on-the-record interviews or just informal chit-chat, and he never shies away from any topic.“
The Lakers‘ priority this offseason — outside of keeping LeBron James and extending Luka Doncic — will be to add size and athleticism around their two superstars. Jovan Buha of The Athletic explores how Los Angeles could improve its roster. If Dorian Finney-Smith opts into his $15.4MM player option, the Lakers would have four sizable expiring deals that they could potentially use in trades, in Finney-Smith, Rui Hachimura‘s ($18.3MM), Maxi Kleber ($11.0MM) and Gabe Vincent ($11.5MM).

Hornets’ Josh Longstaff Among Suns’ Head Coach Candidates

May 15th, 2025 at 9:53am CST by Luke Adams

Hornets assistant Josh Longstaff is among the candidates receiving consideration for the Suns‘ head coaching job, reports Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link).

A veteran NBA assistant, Longstaff was first hired by the Thunder in 2010 and has since been part of coaching staffs for the Knicks, Bucks, Bulls, and Hornets. He was hired by Charlotte under Charles Lee last offseason and coached the Hornets’ Summer League team in July.

Longstaff also previously spent a season as the head coach of the Erie BayHawks, who were Atlanta’s G League affiliate at the time (2017/18). He worked for Team USA under Jeff Van Gundy during World Cup qualifiers as well, Scotto notes.

Reporting earlier this week indicated that the Suns have cast a wide net in their coaching search and have interviewed more than 15 candidates for their head coaching position. In other words, the fact that Longstaff is simply among that group doesn’t necessarily mean he’s a frontrunner or even that he’s assured of advancing to the team’s second round of meetings.

Still, reports have indicated that the Suns are likely to hire a younger, first-time head coach this time around on the heels of on-and-done seasons with a pair of veteran coaches (Frank Vogel and Mike Budenholzer). Longstaff, 42, would fit that bill.

Latest On Suns’ Head Coaching Search

May 14th, 2025 at 12:18pm CST by Luke Adams

As the only NBA team currently conducting a head coaching search, the Suns are taking their time and casting a wide net, according to John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 (Twitter link), who reports that the team has reached out to and interviewed roughly 15-to-20 candidates.

Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic also hears from sources that the Suns have conducted more than 15 interviews and are making “great progress.”

Gambadoro says the second round of interviews will begin soon, but he doesn’t anticipate a final decision being made this week or next week. Phoenix is more likely to make a hire near the end of May or even during the first part of June.

Gambadoro’s latest report doesn’t mention any specific candidates, so it’s unclear who exactly the Suns have spoken to about the vacancy on their bench.

However, earlier reports indicated that the team was looking closely at assistant coaches from around the league, such as Johnnie Bryant and Jordan Ott of the Cavaliers, Sean Sweeney and Jared Dudley of the Mavericks, Royal Ivey and Ben Sullivan of the Rockets, and Dave Bliss of the Thunder, among others.

As we noted on Tuesday within our preview of the Suns’ offseason, multiple reports have stated that the team is expected to prioritize a younger, first-time head coach after firing two veteran coaches with championship experience (Frank Vogel and Mike Budenholzer) in the past 12-plus months.

“Unbelievable basketball IQ,” new general manager Brian Gregory recently said, per Rankin, when asked what the team is looking for in a new coach. “Tremendous communicator. Shares our vision and what we understand needs to be done to be successful in basketball in this new NBA.”

Although Phoenix wasn’t the only team to enter the spring without a permanent head coach in place, multiple clubs have decided to retain their interim coaches, so it looks increasingly likely that the Suns will be the only team to conduct a full-fledged coaching search this offseason.

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Phoenix Suns

2025 NBA Offseason Preview: Phoenix Suns

May 13th, 2025 at 2:47pm CST by Luke Adams

After winning 49 games and making a first-round playoff exit in 2023/24, the Suns were confident that their second year with the big three of Devin Booker, Kevin Durant, and Bradley Beal would yield better results.

Having not operated with a traditional point guard for much of the 2023/24 season, the Suns added Tyus Jones and Monte Morris in free agency during the summer of 2024 while also replacing head coach Frank Vogel with Mike Budenholzer.

Those changes, combined with a full season from 2024 deadline addition Royce O'Neale and the prospect of better health luck for Booker, Durant, and Beal - who suited up together for just 41 games in '23/24 - were reasons for optimism in Phoenix.

And through nine games, it looked like that optimism was warranted. The Suns raced out to an 8-1 start and sat tied with Oklahoma City atop the Western Conference standings on November 10.

However, things quickly turned south, as newcomers like Jones, Morris, and Budenholzer didn't make the sort of impact the Suns had anticipated, while Durant and Beal once again battled health issues that sidelined them for 20 and 29 games, respectively.

Most damning of all was the fact that Phoenix's so-called "big three" wasn't even effective when healthy -- in the 667 minutes that Booker, Durant, and Beal shared the court, the team was outscored by 4.1 points per 100 possessions.

The Suns finished the season with a 36-46 record, earning the ignominious honor of becoming the only NBA team that didn't clinch a top-six playoff spot, didn't claim at least a play-in berth, and didn't control a lottery pick -- each of the league's other 29 clubs fell into at least one of those categories. To make matters worse, the Suns finished the season with the NBA's highest payroll and don't control any of their own draft picks through 2031.

Put simply, running it back wasn't an option in Phoenix this offseason. The team has already fired Budenholzer and made front office changes, promoting vice president of player programming Brian Gregory to general manager while former GM James Jones transitioned into a senior advisor position. Next up? Making major changes to this underachieving roster.

The Suns' Offseason Plan

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Mavericks Win 2025 NBA Draft Lottery; Spurs, Sixers, Hornets In Top 4

May 12th, 2025 at 6:26pm CST by Luke Adams

The Mavericks have won the 2025 NBA draft lottery, jumping all the way from No. 11 in the lottery standings to No. 1 in the draft.

Dallas had just a 1.8% chance of claiming this year’s top pick. Those are the longest odds for any team that has won the lottery since the NBA revamped the format prior to the 2019 draft.

The Mavs’ unlikely lottery victory puts them in position to select consensus top prospect Cooper Flagg, the Duke star who led the Blue Devils to the Final Four as a freshman and was named the ACC Player of the Year, as well as the Naismith College Player of the Year.

The full lottery order for the 2025 draft is as follows:

Dallas Mavericks
San Antonio Spurs
Philadelphia 76ers
Charlotte Hornets
Utah Jazz
Washington Wizards
New Orleans Pelicans
Brooklyn Nets
Toronto Raptors
Houston Rockets (from Suns)
Portland Trail Blazers
Chicago Bulls
Atlanta Hawks (from Kings)
San Antonio Spurs (from Hawks)

It’s an incredible turn of events in Dallas, where general manager Nico Harrison and his front office have been hammered by fans and pundits alike for the last three-plus months for their decision to trade franchise player Luka Doncic to the Lakers at February’s deadline. Now the Mavs are poised to add another cornerstone and a potential All-Star in Flagg, who will join Anthony Davis and Kyrie Irving on the new-look roster.

As Brad Townsend of The Dallas Morning News tweets, this is the first time in 17 lottery appearances that the Mavs ended up with a better pick than their odds dictated.

The lottery results feature plenty of fascinating stories beyond Dallas’ win, starting with the Spurs‘ pick moving up from No. 8 in the pre-lottery order to No. 2 in the draft. Dylan Harper of Rutgers is widely viewed as the second-best prospect in this year’s class behind Flagg and will be the frontrunner to join an up-and-coming San Antonio roster that already features Victor Wembanyama, De’Aaron Fox, and Rookie of the Year Stephon Castle.

When it was revealed on ESPN’s broadcast that the Mavericks and Spurs had moved into the top four, it momentarily looked as if the Sixers would lose their top-six protected pick, which appeared poised to slide to No. 7 and be sent to the Thunder. However, Philadelphia was among the lucky clubs to move up, claiming the No. 3 pick and hanging onto the selection for at least one more year. The 76ers will now owe their 2026 first-rounder, with top-four protection, to Oklahoma City.

The Hornets, who entered the lottery as one of three teams tied for the best odds at the first overall pick (14%), moved down one spot from No. 3 to No. 4. The Jazz and Wizards, who posted the NBA’s two worst records during the regular season, were even less fortunate, falling four spots each and coming in at No. 5 and No. 6.

That’s a worst-case scenario for those two clubs, who came into the night hoping to add a centerpiece like Flagg or Harper for their rebuild and instead dropped as far as they could have. There was a 47.9% chance Utah would end up at No. 5, but just a 20% chance Washington would slide all the way to No. 6.

The Pelicans were among the night’s biggest losers as well, slipping from No. 4 in the pre-lottery order to No. 7 when three teams leapfrogged them. The Nets and Raptors each dropped two spots to No. 8 and No. 9, respectively, while the Rockets (No. 10, via the Suns) and Trail Blazers (No. 11) slid one spot.

Although the Bulls didn’t move from their pre-lottery slot of No. 12, they had one of the biggest heartbreaks of the night — they finished with the same regular season record as the Mavericks and lost a coin flip last month for the No. 11 spot in the lottery. If they had won that tiebreaker, it would be the Bulls, not the Mavs, whose ping-pong ball combination was drawn for the top pick on Monday.

The lack of movement at the very back of the lottery means the Kings‘ pick, which came in at No. 13, will be sent to the Hawks, as expected. That selection – from the 2022 Kevin Huerter trade – was top-12 protected, so Sacramento only would have kept it if it had jumped into the top four.

The Spurs’ second pick of the lottery, courtesy of the Hawks, didn’t move from No. 14.

The NBA has posted a 13-minute video of the lottery drawing on social media.

Rockets Don’t Plan To Pursue Kevin Durant, Devin Booker

May 12th, 2025 at 11:59am CST by Arthur Hill

If the Rockets make a major trade this summer, it probably won’t be with the Suns, sources tell Kelly Iko and Sam Amick of The Athletic.

Houston has frequently been mentioned as a potential landing spot for Kevin Durant, who’s expected to be one of the top names on this year’s trade market. Iko and Amick hear that Durant would be very interested in joining the Rockets, but team sources tell them “significant reservations” remain because of Durant’s age.

Durant will turn 37 in September, which puts him far of out range with the timeline Houston has established by building up a young core over the last four drafts. Durant is still productive — averaging 26.6 PPG in 62 games this season with .527/.430/.839 shooting numbers — and he could provide the closer that the team lacked in its first-round loss to Golden State. However, the Rockets are wary of giving up significant assets to add someone who may be nearing the end of his career.

Rockets sources tell the authors that previous trade talks between the teams regarding Durant were initiated by the Suns, including discussions held prior to this year’s deadline.

The Rockets have also changed their minds about pursuing Suns guard Devin Booker, according to Iko and Amick. The front office hasn’t lost faith in 23-year-old guard Jalen Green despite his playoff struggles, and he’s seen as a preferable alternative because he’s five years younger than Booker and makes about $66MM less over the next three seasons.

Houston once had “serious interest” in acquiring Booker, but that faded over the past year as he wasn’t able to help a talented but dysfunctional Phoenix team reach the play-in tournament. Booker experienced a subpar shooting season, connecting at just 46.1% from the field and 33.2% from three-point range, well below his figures from recent years.

Suns owner Mat Ishbia has declared that won’t consider parting with Booker, so Houston’s apparent lack of interest may not be that significant.

Rockets sources also tell Iko and Amick that the team won’t pursue Zion Williamson if the Pelicans‘ new front office makes him available. Williamson, who was limited to 30 games this season with a variety of ailments and has played just 214 total games in six years, is viewed as too risky by Houston’s management.

According to Iko and Amick, the player who would spark the most interest from the Rockets is Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo, even though he would carry the largest price tag. Antetokounmpo is an MVP finalist this year and at age 30, he’s still considered young enough to fit the timeline.

The authors note that there are a few concerns about Antetokounmpo, who wouldn’t solve the team’s issues with outside shooting that were exploited in the playoffs. He prefers serving as a primary play-maker on offense, and his presence in the paint would create challenges alongside Alperen Sengun, assuming Sengun isn’t moved as part of a potential deal.

A report earlier today indicates that Antetokounmpo plans to reevaluate his future in Milwaukee, so we may find out soon how serious the Rockets’ interest is.

Suns GM Gregory Discusses Ishbia, Coaching Search, More

May 7th, 2025 at 3:02pm CST by Luke Adams

Speaking to the media at his introductory press conference as the Suns‘ new head of basketball operations on Tuesday, general manager Brian Gregory acknowledged that his long-standing relationship with team owner Mat Ishbia was a major factor in his promotion from vice president of player programming to the top of the front office, writes David Brandt of The Associated Press.

Gregory was an assistant coach at Michigan State when Ishbia played for the Spartans as a walk-on in the early 2000s. The two men have known each other for the last 25 years and Gregory suggested on Tuesday that their “alignment,” a word he used repeatedly, will be an asset for the Suns going forward.

“I’m never going to shy away from the fact that one of the reasons I’m sitting up here is because of my relationship with Mat Ishbia,” Gregory said. “But that relationship is founded on our alignment. Shared values. Shared work ethic. We’ve been through a lot together. He trusts me and I trust him.”

Gregory, who was a coach at the college basketball level from 1990-2023 before joining the Suns’ basketball operations department, had very limited NBA front office experience. However, he noted that he has been able to “work with really every facet of the organization” over the past two years, which helped prepare him for the job. He also stated that his three-plus decades as a coach shouldn’t be discounted when discussing his qualifications.

“Thirty-plus years of basketball experience, the last two being here in Phoenix,” Gregory said, per Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic. “The knowledge and experience I think puts me in a good position to be successful in this role, but I think the thing that’s going to separate me and give me an opportunity to be successful and make a positive impact is my focus on building that identity and creating that alignment that Mat talked about a couple of weeks ago.”

Here are a few more of Gregory’s notable comments from Tuesday’s presser, via Brandt and Rankin:

On the Suns’ head coaching search:

“We’re doing an extensive process in that right now. I’m not going to give a timetable because I want to make sure we get this right. This is very, very critical for us moving forward.”

On rumored trade candidates Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal:

“I have a very good relationship with both those guys. Kevin gave me a nice hug in the weight room the other night when the news came across Twitter. Had a great dinner with Brad Beal last Thursday and we talked a little about summer plans and different things like that. My main focus, to be honest with you, is finding the right head coach for those guys.”

On the role CEO Josh Bartelstein will play in the revamped front office:

“He’s involved in every aspect of basketball operations, every single aspect of basketball operations. Josh and I have an unbelievable partnership. When you talk guys working together and getting things done, we’re right there.”

On Ishbia’s potential role in basketball decisions:

“Mat and I are a team. We are completely aligned. As the general manager, my job and my responsibility is to oversee the day-to-day operations … basketball-wise. I report to Mat Ishbia. Mat Ishbia is an owner that is involved and I like that, but he has also empowered me to build this team and to build the identity and to build the alignment that is so important.”

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