James Jones somehow just got a promotion in the NBA

The Phoenix Suns have gone in a different direction entirely this offseason, one that has seen them trade Kevin Durant and likely buy-out Bradley Beal and his pesky no-trade clause. Brian Gregory was also named the new General Manager of the organization, and for a minute it remained unclear what that meant for James Jones in The Valley.

That is a role he had occupied going back to 2019, and in that time he was in charge as the Suns became the darlings of the NBA's bubble with their 8-0 run, made it all the way to the NBA Finals and then fell off again after trading for Durant and Beal. Jones cut a popular figure within the franchise, even if that view wasn't always shared by the wider fanbase.

Jones headed to NBA league office in exciting new role.

It was announced Wednesday that Jones would be working directly for the NBA as their Executive Vice President, bringing to an end his time in The Valley. For those who thought that he might hang back in the shadows - just in case the Gregory hire went sideways quickly so he could jump in if required - that will no longer be the case.

His tenure with Phoenix is one that is only going to be looked upon more fondly as time goes by, and it is not hard to see why. Swinging for superstars early might not have worked, but it was also not Jones' idea either. It was owner Mat Ishbia who exhibited "new owner syndrome" and wanted to make a splash after buying the franchise.

All Jones ever tried to do was work with the pieces he was given - and when it came to drafting players - he arguably excelled in that role. Toumani Camara continues to be the one that got away - and it might be fair to level some criticism at Jones for that awful Deandre Ayton for Jusuf Nurkic trade - but he was also in charge when the Suns selected both Ryan Dunn and Oso Ighodaro.

Jones can't exactly take a ton of credit for the trio of rookies who have landed in Phoenix this summer, but it's also likely he was still in the building when some of the homework was done on those young prospects. The Suns came into possession of those picks late in the day as a result of the Durant to Houston Rockets trade, but we're still going to give Jones some kudos there.

Let's not forget Jones was there when the team rightly moved on from Monty Williams, while he helped put together a roster that featured Devin Booker alongside Chris Paul, Mikal Bridges and Cameron Johnson. So while some my be surprised and view this as a promotion, you'll eventually realize that this is a job that Jones not only deserves, but is surely going to thrive in as well.