Disastrous would be the perfect word to sum up the 2023-24 NBA season for the Phoenix Suns. Many expected them to make their way to the finals after they made two blockbuster trades less than four months in between.
The Suns traded for Kevin Durant during the 2023 trade deadline, giving away fan favorites; Mikal Bridges and Cameron Johnson. They also got rid of a plethora of draft assets. They followed it up in late June 2023 when they acquired Bradley Beal for a good portion of the team's future.
The team was hyped even before the 2023-24 campaign started since there was a new Big 3 in the West. The stars also added fuel to the fire when Kevin Durant commented "You can't guard all of us at once," which aged like milk. All the changes the Suns had happened when Mat Ishbia was named the official majority owner of the team.
Ishbia wanted to build a "win-now" team and didn't waste time making significant moves to shake up the roster. But the results of his influence weren't what he expected and maybe he needs to reflect on the moves he did as a first-time team owner.
The new owner influenced many of the moves the Suns made in the offseason. He believed having three ball-dominant stars was the way to win a title. This is why he's as guilty as the coach, front office and players for not living up to the hype and deserves most of the blame.
With that said, there are aspects of his tenure, so far, that he needs to look back into and maybe learn a thing or two.