Much has been made about the offseason that the Phoenix Suns have had, one in which they waved the white flag on contending for a championship and waved goodbye to Kevin Durant. The roster certainly got younger around superstar Devin Booker - with no fewer than three rookies on the team this season - but it remains to be seen how long this rebuild will take.
Trading for center Mark Williams appears to have been a misstep if the national media outlets are to be believed as well, although if he can stay healthy he will do wonders for the Suns' eventual return to convention. Really though this is a franchise that needed a spark to get fans excited again, and owner Mat Ishbia has gone and done just that.
Steve Nash returning to Suns in senior advisory role.
Few former players unite the fan base like two-time league MVP Steve Nash, which makes bringing him onboard as a senior advisor a master stroke by the organization. At a time when the direct of the team is a concern, playing the hits and bringing back the point guard is a sure fire way to get people talking for all of the right reasons again.
Steve Nash was an amazing player and exactly what the Phoenix Suns are all about. His grit, toughness, and winning mentality have defined our organization in the past, and I’m so excited to share that Steve is formally joining the @Suns as a senior advisor and will help us define… pic.twitter.com/cm1VkMrBtv
— Mat Ishbia (@Mishbia15) September 22, 2025
On a more basic level this is good PR after an offseason in which some of the wrong kinds of stories came out of Phoenix. Nash is a link to happier times and an era of Suns basketball that we all remember fondly, and it is also ironic that his return should happen so soon after Durant's move to the Houston Rockets.
Nash was Durant's head coach with the Brooklyn Nets, although he was eventually forced out by the stars in New York and hasn't coached since. He has appeared on the "Mind The Game" podcast alongside LeBron James, and what is interesting about that is the fact that the last person to do that in JJ Redick is now the head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers.
Talk of Nash being anything other than an advisor here is incorrect, although it would be interesting if Jordan Ott was to get off to a slow start. The calls for Nash to have another go at coaching - especially having such a strong relationship with Booker - would grow quickly. The title of senior advisor is a vague one too, and can mean any number of things.
But with preseason now coming into focus and the Suns suddenly having young players to build up as they create another roster around the talents of Booker, the addition of Nash is a great one. He plays well with the media, will be popular wherever he goes and takes attention away from the negative stories that have come out of The Valley. A home run.