Mat Isbhia has reached a new low - and it will only get worse for the Suns

When trying to sum up Phoenix Suns' owner Mat Ishbia's time running the organization since buying it in late 2022, it is hard to know where to land. For all of the positive talk and swinging for the bleachers in trading for Kevin Durant that the fanbase has seen, there has been very little in the way of actual progress or success.

If anything they are blessed to have a star in Devin Booker who has the patience to stick with whatever direction Ishbia and company believe they are going. Complicating matters further is the continued insistence of Ishbia to hire former Michigan State alumni - which he himself is - in the form of General Manager Brian Gregory, and now new head coach Jordan Ott.

This situation is not going to get better any time soon.

With the NBA Finals currently taking place, the Suns have managed to avoid some of the attention that they would otherwise be getting as they sit in this unwanted position. They're not out of the firing line completely though, as ESPN's Tim Bontemps let the organization and Ishbia have it in summing up where they're at right now. In his mind, "the worst situation in the history of the NBA". Ouch...

When you hear Bontemps and company break it down, it is hard to disagree with his assessment that the Suns are going to have to go through a lot more pain before this gets better. The team have no upcoming draft picks, are over the second apron and are unable to trade Bradley Beal thanks to his no-trade clause. Which might lead them to the nuclear option at some point this summer.

At 36-years-old Durant is being viewed as a one-year rental in any upcoming trade talks, meaning his value is nowhere near the level it was when the franchise traded away the farm to acquire him. Brian Windhorst appeared to take a shot of sorts at Ishbia in the process of breaking this all down as well, claiming that the only way out of this mess is to do the exact opposite of what they've done so far.

That would mean not making outrageous trades for expensive stars, and instead growing internally with a first time head coach in Ott, plus youngsters such as Ryan Dunn and Oso Ighodaro. The Suns have somehow managed to be in the worst possible place you can be in this league, worse even than the Chicago Bulls and their constant middle of the pack status.

They're a second apron team - which is bad - but who aren't even one of the 10 best teams in the Western Conference. That is a catastrophe. It is easier to swallow having no picks and flexibility if the product on the floor is competing for championships. Which was the plan for the Suns and kind of what the Boston Celtics have been for the last number of years.

But to not even make the playoffs means you don't have access to your lottery picks that you traded away, and the organization are paying crazy sums of money to be mediocre. It's a minor miracle Booker hasn't asked out because no matter what way you frame this, Ishbia is in over his head and darker days are coming. Here's hoping that Michigan State connection can get them through it...