The NBA playoffs might only be getting started - and what a two months of basketball it is going to be - but the Phoenix Suns have already entered what is sure to be a long and eventful offseason. Speculation is mounting that Kevin Durant has played his last game in The Valley, with the Houston Rockets emerging as a leading candidate to trade for him.
The franchise held their end of season exit interviews on Thursday - and among the individuals present to speak to the media - Suns' owner Mat Ishbia faced the music. To be fair to him, he's shown he is both willing to spend money and be honest about where the franchise is right now as they seek to get back to where they were in 2021.
His comments on his role in Phoenix should give fans renewed hope.
One of the biggest knocks on many new owners in the league is that they come in and immediately try and have too much involvement in the running of the team from a playing and coaching perspective. Ishbia's biggest knock to this point has been breaking up a fringe contender to trade for Durant - but if you cast your mind back to when the deal was done - fans were happy that he did it.
While addressing the media Thursday, Ishbia was quick to point out that all he has done since acquiring the franchise is to approve the financial aspects of the organization and help them to compete in that area. Evaluating players, watching film or insisting a certain individual is traded for, Ishbia has gone on the record in saying he does not get involved in that.
Mat Ishbia on is role in the Suns' decision-making process: "I don't scout. I don't watch film...my role is to enable."
— Gerald Bourguet (@GeraldBourguet) April 17, 2025
Said it's almost disrespectful to give him credit for evaluating players, and that his job is to approve the financial aspects of what is presented to him
Which is a great attitude for an owner to have, and it is also the right one. This doesn't mean that Ishbia is trying to duck any responsibility for the Bradley Beal trade either for example. The Suns still miss Chris Paul badly and need to bring him back. But rather he employs and pays people with much more knowledge than him a lot of money to make the decisions to help this team win.
That hasn't happened, and it is why head coach Mike Budenholzer was fired immediately after the season finished. Ishbia also took ownership for that as well, admitting that he was the wrong hire for this group. This may inadvertently put General Manager James Jones under pressure - because it appears he is being left alone to do his job - and his days feel numbered at this point.
But at a time when the franchise has hit a real low point, it was a small boost to hear the owner come out and say he's not going to meddle in affairs to get back on track. He'll open his wallet - again something you can't accuse him of not doing - and he'll work hard behind the scenes to win as he called it "championships with an s". Can't ask for more than that.