Mat Ishbia

Suns Notes: Ishbia, Ott, Nash, Williams, More

October 24th, 2025 at 11:15pm CST by Rory Maher

In the months leading up to the 2025/26 campaign, owner Mat Ishbia talked repeatedly about a desire to turn the Suns into a tough, physical team that consistently plays hard and with aggression on both ends of the court. Ishbia was encouraged by the way the team took on that new identity during the preseason, but acknowledges there’s still work to be done, as Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic relays.

“It’s not all the way there yet,” Ishbia said. “Am I surprised? I’m really happy with where we’re at, but at the same time, we have a long way to go. Doing the things we’ve been talking about, an identity we’ve been talking about, we’re going to do it, but doing it for 48 minutes and then doing it for 48 minutes for 82 games, there’s still a process.”

Here’s more on the Suns:

First-year head coach Jordan Ott has helped foster the team’s emphasis on toughness and defense through competitive practices and a steadfast work ethic, writes Doug Haller of The Athletic. While there will undoubtedly be bumps along the way, Wednesday’s season-opening comeback win against Sacramento was reflective of Ott’s own resiliency, according to Haller.
Ishbia announced last month that Steve Nash has returned to the Suns as a senior advisor while also being an analyst for Amazon Prime Video. Nash recently explained what his advisory role with the Suns entails, referring to himself as a “sounding board” who can provide a big-picture perspective the team might lack at times during a long season. “I’m there as a resource, to share my experiences,” Nash said, per Rankin. “We have a rookie coach, a rookie GM (Brian Gregory). An organization that’s trying to reset. Someone that got a chance to play in the league for 17 years, got to coach in the league, I think there’s an opportunity just to be able to share my experiences, my thoughts around the game.”
Offseason acquisition Mark Williams made his Suns debut on Wednesday, recording six points and 11 rebounds in 24 minutes off the bench, with a game-high plus/minus (+15). “It meant a lot,” Williams said (story via Rankin). “It felt good. The energy in the arena was great. Teammates had my back. Good to be out there.” Williams, who will be a restricted free agent next summer, is on a minutes restriction for the time being, Rankin adds.
In a press release, the Valley Suns — Phoenix’s G League affiliate — officially announced the team’s coaching staff, tweets Rankin.

Suns Notes: Ishbia, Lawsuits, Williams, Centers, Butler, Jones

October 19th, 2025 at 9:02am CST by Luke Adams

A pair of Suns minority owners dismissed their lawsuit against majority owner Mat Ishbia and the team on Friday, but intend to file a new suit over what their lawyer refers to as Ishbia’s “mismanagement” of the franchise, reports Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic.

It’s the latest development in a legal battle within the Suns’ ownership group. Andy Kohlberg (Kisco WC Sports) and Scott Seldin (Kent Circle Investments) sued the Suns and Ishbia in August, alleging that they weren’t being permitted to view records and financial information that would help them understand how the team was being run and how much their shares are worth. Ishbia filed a countersuit earlier this week, arguing that the initial suit was part of a negative PR campaign against him as those minority owners sought a buyout at an “extortionate” cost.

“Our clients succeeded in their books and records action in obtaining information we were seeking and have discontinued that case,” Michael Carlinsky, an attorney representing Kohlberg and Seldin, said in a statement, per Vorkunov. “We are now focused on the critical phase in our litigation, which will involve our clients’ assertion of claims for mismanagement and other misconduct and look forward to their day in court.”

Ishbia and the Suns remain confident that nothing will come of the new suit.

“This is more of the same from litigious limited partners who are using the courts to try to leverage a buyout,” Suns spokesperson Stacey Mitch said. “They dropped their books and records complaint because the organization is and has been fully transparent about its operations and success. We are confident that we will prevail in court.”

We have more on the Suns:

After taking part in a competitive scrimmage on Saturday, Suns center Mark Williams is on track to be available for the team when the regular season tips off on Wednesday, writes Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic. “This was the most minutes he’s seen in a scrimmage that we’ve played,” head coach Jordan Ott said. “Mark is big. You can see his size out there, both ends. Offensively, puts pressure on the rim. Defensively, when someone is driving in there, you have to make the decision.” Phoenix has taken a cautious approach with Williams this fall due to his extensive injury history — he has played just 106 of 246 possible regular season games during his first three years in the NBA.
While Williams is expected to start at center, Ott said the rotation in the middle will be “fluid” early in the season, per Rankin. Oso Ighodaro, Nick Richards, and rookie Khaman Maluach will also be in the mix. “On a night-to-night basis, we’ll have a plan going into it, but we have to be a little fluid as coaches and kind of read the games and see exactly who is impacting winning out there on the court on a night-to-night basis,” Ott explained.
According to Rankin, Ott called it a “really tough” decision to cut Jared Butler, who had a big preseason with the Suns while on a non-guaranteed Exhibit 9 contract. Butler averaged 15.5 points, 4.2 assists, 3.2 rebounds, and 1.8 steals in 20.9 minutes per game across four preseason outings, but was waived because Phoenix is operating slightly over the tax line and apparently doesn’t plan to fill its 15th roster spot for now. “He was part of us for multiple months,” Ott said of Butler. “He really helped our group. Helped his teammates. Helped our intensity of camp. … Hopefully at the end of it, JB knows that we tried to do the best we could. Hopefully, we helped him.”
Former Suns general manager James Jones said on Thursday that his time in Phoenix was “phenomenal” and spoke about his new role in the NBA’s league office. Rankin has the highlights in a story for The Arizona Republic.

Mat Ishbia Countersues Suns’ Minority Shareholders

October 14th, 2025 at 1:18pm CST by Luke Adams

Suns owner Mat Ishbia has filed a countersuit against a pair of minority owners who sued Ishbia and the team earlier this year, according to Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic.

That original suit, which was brought forth in August by Andy Kohlberg (Kisco WC Sports) and Scott Seldin (Kent Circle Investments), alleged that Ishbia wasn’t allowing them to view records and financial information that would help them understand how the franchise is being run and how much their shares are worth. Kohlberg and Seldin, expressing dissatisfaction with Ishbia’s management of the team, were reportedly seeking a buyout from the majority owner at a price point of $825MM, which would value the Suns at $6 billion.

Ishbia, who bought the Suns in 2023 at a valuation of $4 billion, offered to buy out the team’s minority owners when he took over control of the franchise and says that Kohlberg and Seldin were the only ones who passed on the offer.

Ishbia’s new suit states that he has invested significantly in the Suns and the WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury since buying the team and sought funds on a capital call in June to “cover payroll, luxury tax payments and other near-term obligations,” per Vorkunov. The suit also alleges that Kohlberg and Seldin didn’t want to invest during that round of fundraising and that their lawsuit was part of a negative PR campaign against Ishbia as they sought a buyout from him at an “extortionate” cost.

“When Mat Ishbia bought the Suns and Mercury, he couldn’t have been clearer with investors: he was going to invest in the teams, the fans, and the community,” an Ishbia spokesperson said in a statement. “Every investor had the choice at that point — sell at premium or stay in and invest alongside him. Andy Kohlberg and Scott Seldin want it both ways. They don’t want to invest in the teams, but they are demanding a payday significantly higher than what Mat originally offered, which was still over 20 times their original investment. That’s not how it works, and we’re confident we’ll prevail in court.”

There has been no shortage of legal battles in Phoenix since Ishbia took over the team. Outside of this dispute between the team’s investors, several former employees have filed lawsuits against the Suns, alleging discrimination, harassment, and wrongful termination, per Vorkunov. Ishbia said at media day that he wasn’t looking to settle those suits.

“The truth is, you actually got to win a lawsuit,” he said. “And where I’m different than most successful people … is like, we don’t settle. If we don’t do anything wrong, I’m not paying someone. I hope you guys all report on how many lawsuits we actually lose.”

Suns Notes: Williams, Maluach, Gillespie, Ishbia

September 27th, 2025 at 11:00pm CST by Arthur Hill

An inability to stay healthy has been the biggest impediment to success in Mark Williams‘ NBA career, so the Suns entered training camp with a plan to help him avoid injuries, writes Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic. Williams appeared in 43, 19 and 44 games during his three seasons in Charlotte, and Phoenix officials understood they had to try something different after landing him in a draft-night trade.

“We know Mark’s history and we’re trying to change it,” coach Jordan Ott said Friday. “We’re taking an approach. He’s been out here and has been good. This is Sept. 26. Definitely added some strength to him. You can see it when he walks in the building. He definitely has great size. Excited to see where he goes, but we still do have a couple more weeks.”

Although the exact nature of their concerns was never specified, the Lakers opted to rescind a trade for Williams in February. L.A. had viewed Williams as a rim protector and a lob partner for newly acquired Luka Doncic, but something in his physical made the team change its mind. He was able to resume playing for the Hornets after the trade was called off.

Rankin indicates that Williams’ minutes might be limited in the Suns’ four preseason games so they can preserve him for the regular season. Ott noted on Saturday that Nick Richards, Khaman Maluach and Oso Ighodaro have been getting most of the work in training camp, but that doesn’t mean there are concerns about Williams’ physical condition.

“He’s in a good place,” Ott said. “We want Mark to know we care about him this year and going forward so we have a really intentional plan for him.”

There’s more from Phoenix:

Maluach had a difficult time during Summer League, but fellow Duke alum Grayson Allen sees promise in the rookie big man, Rankin tweets. “He talks non-stop on the court,” Allen said. “Like he’s commanding the defense, calling out coverages, constantly talking. For a rookie, let alone a 19-year-old guy to come into a gym and do that first day of training camp is impressive. He’s already ready in that aspect.”
Hoping for a larger role in his second season with the Suns, Collin Gillespie spent the summer working to improve his jumper and take better care of the ball (Twitter video link from Rankin). “The way (Ott) talked about smaller guards like myself, we have to be able to shoot off the dribble and be efficient and not turn the ball over,” Gillespie said. “So I just worked on decision making, shooting, shooting from deeper, shooting off the dribble.”
At Wednesday’s media day, owner Mat Ishbia responded to questions about five workplace discrimination lawsuits recently filed against the Suns and the WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury, per Jason Wolf of The Arizona Republic. Ishbia dismissed the claims as “ridiculous” and “a cash grab,” adding, “We don’t settle. So if we don’t do anything wrong, I’m not paying someone.” ESPN’s Baxter Holmes reported this week that employees were told in the spring that to keep their jobs they had to sign an agreement limiting their ability to sue the team over workforce matters.

Suns Sued By Two Minority Shareholders

August 27th, 2025 at 1:16pm CST by Luke Adams

A pair of Suns minority shareholders – Andy Kohlberg of Kisco WC Sports and Scott Seldin of Kent Circle Investments – have sued the team in a Delaware Chancery Court, reports Michael McCann of Sportico. The minority owners say in their complaint that they’re “dissatisfied” with the way Suns Capital Group LLC (Mat Ishbia‘s group) has managed the team.

As McCann details, Kisco and Kent Circle claim they haven’t been allowed to view records and financial information that would help them understand how the franchise is being run and how much their shares are worth. They’re demanding a court order that would allow them to look into alleged “potential breaches of a limited liability company agreement, mismanagement of the team and conflicts of interest,” McCainn writes.

According to Gerald Bourguet of PHNX Sports, when Ishbia took over as the Suns’ controlling owner in 2023, he gave the team’s 16 limited partners the opportunity to sell their stakes in the team at the same $4 billion valuation that applied to his majority stake. Fourteen of the 16 partners took that buyout offer, with Kisco and Kent Circle representing the only two holdouts.

Kisco has since sought a buyout from Ishbia’s group; there are conflicting reports on whether Kent Circle has done the same. Bourguet’s report suggests both minority stakeholders have looked to be bought out, while McCann says Kent Circle hasn’t done so but has expressed “growing concerns” about management.

The price that Kisco and Kent Circle are demanding from Suns Capital Group LLC to buy them out is based on a valuation in excess of $6 billion, according to Bourguet. The complaint, per McCann, alleges that Ishbia’s LLC didn’t respond in good faith to Kisco’s efforts to divest its shares by June 1 and instead issued a capital call for June 2 with “no advance notice.” The per-unit valuation conveyed on that call was “strikingly low and bears no relationship to the actual value of the company which is worth billions,” according to the plaintiffs.

In a letter to Kisco and Kent Circle, Suns Capital Group LLC indicated it has no objections to the minority partners finding another buyer for their shares, per Bourguet. However, the majority ownership groups insists that the minority stakeholders have no right to demand Ishbia’s LLC be the one to buy them out at a significantly higher valuation than the 2023 price.

Kisco and Kent Circle, meanwhile, argue in their complaint that the majority ownership group has been putting pressure on and diluting the team’s minority owners, citing “mismanagement and lack of transparency.”

According to Bourguet, the plaintiffs suspect Ishbia’s group of entering into undisclosed side deals and also raised questions about the funding of a practice facility for the WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury. As McCann writes, the complaint states that facility was “seemingly paid for using” team funds but that the minority stakeholders were “provided virtually no information” about how it was funded or the process used to determine its funding.

Attorneys for Suns Capital Group LLC will have the opportunity to respond to the complaint, McCann notes.

Suns Owner Mat Ishbia Talks Missteps, Culture Shift, Championship Window

August 22nd, 2025 at 12:01pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Suns majority owner Mat Ishbia has conceded that he made some team- and culture-building missteps during his first few seasons at the helm. Ishbia is on his fourth head coach in as many years and has already cycled through multiple Hall of Fame players since the end of the 2022/23 season when he assumed control of the franchise.

In an interview on Arizona Sports’ Burns and Gambo show, Ishbia took the blame for the club’s struggles to define its culture. He has addressed this issue in other media appearances this offseason.

“We have young players that are ascending instead of players that are descending,” Ishbia said. “We have players that wanna be here, that are bought into the Phoenix Suns’ culture. I can take the criticism for not defining (that culture) well enough when I bought the team, but it is defined very clearly now.”

These pointed remarks certainly seem to be allusions to the awkward fit of two pricey veterans, All-Star forward Kevin Durant and former All-Star guard Bradley Beal. Neither player remains on the roster, although Phoenix reaffirmed its commitment to homegrown superstar guard Devin Booker this summer with a two-year extension that could be worth up to $145MM.

Here’s more from Ishbia’s interview, which is well worth hearing in full:

On the current roster’s buy-in:

“There is not a player on the team that does not understand what we’re about. There’s not a coach, there’s not anyone in the front office that does not understand that it’s for the fans, and we’re gonna develop a team that they’re gonna be proud of year in and year out.”

On the revamped team’s new long-term title trajectory:

“What I expect is we’re gonna be competitive, a team that you’re gonna be proud of and we’re gonna be building… Over the next couple years, you’re gonna see us follow that same Phoenix Mercury path to be competing for a championship, playing hard.”

On his original expectations for a ready-made champion when he bought the team:

“When I bought the Suns originally, I thought we were on third base… Now, I’ve set a vision. I’ve said, ‘Hey, I know what kind of guys I want, we ain’t trading for guys who aren’t like this.’ …Do I expect it to take a couple years to get to the point where you’re like, ‘Wow, I see the vision?’ Yes.”

Pacific Notes: Suns, Looney, Monk, Niederhauser

July 18th, 2025 at 10:02pm CST by Eli Cohen

The Suns are embracing a new identity, writes Gerald Bourguet for Go PHNX. With Bradley Beal and Kevin Durant gone and Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks, Mark Williams, Khaman Maluach, and Rasheer Fleming in, the team has pivoted towards a younger, more athletic team construction around the recently extended Devin Booker.

The Suns now enter into a phase they will find unprecedented during the brief tenure of Mat Ishbia‘s ownership: one of patience. However, Bourguet writes that Ishbia’s own words make the concept of following through on a more long-term team build a question mark.

“When I make a mistake or things don’t go well, I change fast,” Ishbia said during exit interviews this spring. “We make quick moves, and I’m not afraid to do that… Patience isn’t gonna be my strongest suit, okay? We’re gonna try to compete and win, and we’re gonna get better.”

However, Ishbia did give reason to hope.

“I’m very patient if I think we’re on the right path and plan,” Ishbia said. “So, say it again, I expect us to win more games next year. But let’s just say we lost more games next year, but it was aligned, the vision and the tone that I’m gonna set, and we’re on a path, then we’re gonna go that way.”

We have more from the Pacific division:

Kevon Looney‘s departure from the Warriors was facilitated in part by his lack of playing time, especially in the playoffs, as Tristi Rodriguez of NBC Sports Bay Area relays. “It was anybody but me it seemed like at this point. It wasn’t no one moment,” he explained during an appearance on the Warriors Plus/Minus podcast. “Even this year, probably the playoffs. We going up against Steven Adams. This is what I do. They’re not really giving me the chance to really let me do what I do.” Looney added that after 10 seasons in Golden State, he didn’t feel like he should still have to prove himself or his worth. “When you prove yourself the first four, five years, all right, cool. But after 10 years of it, it’s like, all right. You either trust me or you don’t.” He added that he knows the coaching decisions from Steve Kerr weren’t personal, but he still felt that he drew the short end of the stick in Kerr’s quest to win.
After the rumored Kings sign-and-trade of Malik Monk to bring in Dennis Schröder never took place, Monk is ready to do what’s needed to win, writes Will Zimmerle for SI.com. The Kings now have Schröder and Zach LaVine as their presumed starting backcourt, and despite Monk expressing a desire to be a starter in the league in the past, he’s reportedly willing to go to the bench if that’s what coach Doug Christie needs. “Malik has told Doug Christie, ‘I will do whatever you need, even if that includes coming off the bench,'” Matt George of ABC10 said on a recent ESPN radio show. “I don’t think he’s going to pout or throw a fit about it.” Monk was runner-up for Sixth Man of the Year in 2023/24, but split time as a starter last year and put up career-highs in points (17.2) and assists (5.6) per game.
The Clippers‘ first-round pick, Yanic Konan Niederhauser, showed different skills in each of his first three Summer League games, writes Broderick Turner of the LA Times. While defense is his primary selling point, he was able to display some of the offensive package that intrigued the Clippers enough to select him with the No. 30 pick in the 2025 draft. “That’s the guard skills I was talking about,” Niederhauser said of a high-energy dunk he was able to throw down over a defender on a fast break. Those guard skills come from when he was a 6’5″ 16-year-old, before the growth spurt that shot him up to 6’11” and cemented his future as a center. “For a guy that’s his age, he’s still learning and growing into his frame that he hasn’t really had his whole life,” said general manager Trent Redden. “We just haven’t had a guy that size at that position in a backup role that’s young that we can feed into and give to our developmental staff.” Niederhauser enters a developmental situation where he can learn from two high-level defensive bigs in Brook Lopez and Ivica Zubac.

Suns’ Ishbia Talks Offseason, Beal, Ott, Maluach, Green, Brooks

July 18th, 2025 at 1:47pm CST by Luke Adams

In the wake of the Suns‘ trade of Kevin Durant and buyout agreement with Bradley Beal, team owner Mat Ishbia admitted that he may have taken the wrong approach when he took control of the franchise two years ago and immediately began throwing draft picks and money around to build an expensive, top-heavy roster.

“The big thing I learned is you got to start and have the vision and identity from day one and I did not do that with the Phoenix Suns,” Ishbia said during a Thursday interview on SiriusXM NBA Radio, per Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic. “I thought, ‘Hey, let’s add some money. They’ve already got a good thing going. Let’s untap some resources and it will only get better,’ and that’s not how it works.

“… Everybody has got to have an alignment of what we’re about here in Phoenix and we didn’t do a good enough job of that. That’s on me. I’ll take the blame.”

“Alignment” has been a recurring talking point for Ishbia and the Suns this summer as they made changes to their front office and brought in a new head coach for the third consecutive offseason.

Ishbia said during his SiriusXM NBA Radio appearance that he and new general manager Brian Gregory are “completely aligned with what we’re trying to do,” and brought up “alignment” again when he explained why he doesn’t feel pressure to make sure star guard Devin Booker stays happy in the coming years.

“Devin’s going to be happy because we’re going to try to win,” the Suns owner said, per Rankin. “We’re going to do things that will be aligned with the vision and the identity that he agrees with 1000% and I agree with 1000% along with our GM (Gregory) and our coach (Jordan Ott). The alignment from owner to GM to coach to star/franchise player was never there before, to be clear. It is now and it’s crystal clear.”

According to Ishbia, the Suns are now committed to building “the right way” over the long term, and made it a priority this summer to add “younger, up-and-coming” talent while creating more salary cap flexibility going forward.

Here are a few more highlights from Ishbia, via Rankin:

On parting with Beal:

“He’s a great guy. Just not a fit with Phoenix Suns going forward. We told him that. We made that decision. We let them know wanted to move forward without him. It doesn’t mean he’s a bad guy. It doesn’t mean he’s a bad player. … He’s a great player, but for Phoenix and what we’re doing, it wasn’t a fit and we had to move on and make those decisions.”

On why the Suns hired Ott as their head coach:

“We had to get a coach that’s thinking forward and not looking back. Not looking at what worked in 2020, but what’s going to work in 2030. What’s the future and Jordan Ott is an unbelievable basketball mind. Praised by everybody we reached out to, every reference possible and we’ve been really happy with him so far. He’s young, he’s going to build with our team and he hopefully can be a great coach for the Phoenix Suns for the future.”

On No. 10 overall pick Khaman Maluach:

“We’re excited about Malauch. He’s 18, though. People have unreal (expectations). He’s 18. I have a son that’s 14. He’s four years older. He’s still a kid and he’s going to develop. It’s going to take a little bit of time, but we really love what he’s got and think he can be a real impact player.”

On the return in the Durant blockbuster:

“We wanted Jalen Green, to be clear. We like Jalen. He’s 23 years old, the leading scorer for the two seed in the West and Dillon Brooks, he’s a straight dog. He’s the type of guy we want here in Phoenix. He’s not on your team, you probably don’t like him, but I’m telling you. … He plays defense against the best player. He’s great around Booker. You put him around Booker, you put Jalen Green with Booker, we feel good about that.”

Suns Notes: Izzo, Ott, Durant Trade, Coaching Staff

June 6th, 2025 at 6:00pm CST by Eli Cohen

Michigan State coach Tom Izzo has seen the jokes about Suns owner Mat Ishbia stockpiling on Spartan alumni, especially following Phoenix’s hiring of new head coach Jordan Ott, but he doesn’t think the correlation is all it’s cracked up to be, writes Duane Rankin of Arizona Republic.

“It looks like Michigan State Southwest, but the truth of the matter is, it’s not that,” Izzo told Rankin in a phone interview. “He’s just got to figure out what it takes to win and I think he’s figured out some of the things he’s done, positively and negatively. He’s got to get some stability. He’s got to figure out his roster and I think you’re going to see Mat more and more visible.”

With Ott marking Phoenix’s fourth coach in four years, stability will be key to moving the Suns into a new, more successful era.

Izzo also praised the Ott hire, saying of the first-time head coach, “He’s great, a really smart kid. Works his ass off. He’s a guy that has enjoyed the process. He’s really a thorough guy.”

We have more news from Phoenix:

Ott has been effortlessly commanding respect from players since he entered the NBA as a video coordinator with the Hawks, writes The Athletic’s Doug Haller. As Haller details, Michigan State assistant coach Dwayne Stephens was immediately impressed by Ott’s comfort level in Atlanta when he visited him in 2014 and saw him working with his first NBA team. “That’s probably when I first realized that this dude has an opportunity to be one of the premier coaches in that league,” Stephens said. According to Spartan athletic director Kevin Pauga, Ott commands a room not with a boisterous presence, but with an undeniable mindset: “You get five minutes (with him), you’re like, ‘Oh, this guy is smart as hell.'”
With Kevin Durant trade speculation heating up, Rankin lists five of the teams he considers most likely trade partners for the Suns. Those teams are the Rockets, Timberwolves, Knicks, Pistons, and Spurs. Rankin believes it’s unlikely the Spurs would consider the No. 2 pick in the 2025 draft in a Durant deal, but thinks the 14th pick could be on the table.
Rankin also looks at potential candidates to join the Suns’ coaching staff as assistants under Ott. David Fizdale, who has been on the staff with the previous two coaches (Frank Vogel and Mike Budenholzer) is one clear choice. Fizdale had been under consideration for the head coaching position before Ott won it. Mark Bryant and Othella Harrington both coached under Tom Thibodeau with the Knicks and could find themselves looking for work if New York overhauls its staff. Adam Caporn of the Wizards, the Suns’ Brent Barry, Indiana’s Jenny Boucek, and former Ott coworkers Adam Harrington and Phil Handy round out the list for Rankin.

Suns Notes: Ott, Expectations, Ishbia

June 4th, 2025 at 10:15pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

The Suns hired their fourth head coach in as many years on Wednesday, bringing aboard former Cavaliers assistant coach Jordan Ott on a four-year deal.

According to John Gambadoro of 98.7 FM Phoenix (Twitter link), Phoenix was particularly impressed with Ott’s elaborate offensive plans and his committed work ethic. Current All-Star guard Devin Booker and franchise legend Steve Nash both approved of the hire, Gambadoro notes.

Ott beat out his former Cleveland colleague Johnnie Bryant, the other reported finalist for the role. It took an intensive four-round interview process to replace one-and-done former head coach Mike Budenholzer. Miami assistant coach Chris Quinn, Mavericks assistant Sean Sweeney, Thunder assistant Dave Bliss and Phoenix assistant David Fizdale were among the apparent top contenders, having survived multiple rounds of meetings themselves.

Phoenix has failed to even get past the first round of the playoffs with its pricey All-Star triumvirate of Booker, forward Kevin Durant and guard Bradley Beal. Last year’s iteration finished outside of the play-in tournament. It is anticipated that the Suns will attempt to trade Durant and Beal. Since Beal has a no-trade clause, he would need to be on board with his next destination.

There’s more out of Phoenix:

Ott, who had also been a finalist for the Hornets’ head coaching role last spring, seems likely to align with the vision Suns majority owner Mat Ishbia and new general manager Brian Gregory have previously laid out, observes Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic. Ishbia spoke about wanting to find a “grinder” during an April presser. During Gregory’s first press conference in his new role this May, he stated that Phoenix was looking for a coach with deep basketball knowledge and an investment in playing a tough, physical brand of basketball.
Ishbia, who has overseen significant roster and coach turnover since taking over the franchise, plans to get even more hands-on with the team from now on, per Gerald Bourgeut of PHNX Sports. Ott, like Gregory and Ishbia, is a Michigan State alum. Bourgeut notes that, should both Ott and Gregory not meet the moment, Ishbia could receive even more scrutiny for his hiring choices than he has in the past. A source told Bourgeut that Ishbia, himself a former player for the Spartans, emailed his basketball operations team this week, claiming he needed to be more involved in constructing a team culture. Ishbia added that he intends to be “extremely active in the decisions and management,” per Bourgeut’s source.
In case you missed it, mutual interest reportedly remains between the Spurs and Durant on a potential trade.

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