Mat Ishbia took a home run swing when he took over the Phoenix Suns. His trade for Kevin Durant was bold — some would say brash — but if it worked, he would look like a genius and the savior of the downtrodden Suns. It didn't work. Now the Suns have to adjust to a post-Durant life, and Ishbia... doesn't seem to be adjusting particularly well. On Tuesday, he responded to ESPN's prediction that the Suns will be one of the NBA teams to "take a tumble" this season by claiming he's, "...not worried about what the so-called experts think. They had us as a title contender the past two years and were wrong then," on his Twitter / X account.
I'm not worried about what the so-called experts think. They had us as a title contender the past two years and were wrong then. We're focused on making our fans proud by playing great as a team and building a brand of basketball that's tough and gritty. https://t.co/o9ysQlxW6r
— Mat Ishbia (@Mishbia15) August 27, 2025
Alright, Mat.
I'm not exactly sure where to start here, so I guess I'll just say that I do think the Suns will be a little better than the general consensus thinks in 2025-26; I like the roster, and I won't apologize!
With that being said... the irony is palpable that Mat Ishbia's belief in this year's team stems from the fact that the past two Suns teams were worse than expected. Like, yeah, you built those teams. Is the implication here that you wanted to build a team that experts wouldn't believe in just so you could subvert expectations?
Also, the smugness from Ishbia is a little unwarranted. He's been an active owner and the Suns are arguably in a better place now than they were when he took over, but... there's not enough winning on his resume to operate with this level of self-assuredness. If he had a Finals win under his belt... or even a Western Conference Finals appearance... then maybe this bravado would be charming. He doesn't, so it's not.
A gritty, fun Suns team isn't going to absolve Ishbia
I'll say it again; I like this Suns roster — but I like it for what it is, which is probably the seventh or eighth seed in the Western Conference. This is not a finished product. Playing "tough and gritty" basketball like Ishbia said is great, and this team might well do that. But fans aren't dumb enough to think that "tough and gritty" is the end-all, be-all to success in the NBA. A "proud" group of fans doesn't mean you've finished the job as an owner.
Also, an owner's job should always be to build a team that can compete for a championship, not "playing great as a team." I am anti "championship or bust" mentality, because I think that ignores so much fun basketball. But Ishbia trying to convince fans they'll have "fun" the year after trading one of the best players in the NBA feels more disrespectful than anything else.