The Phoenix Suns' 2024-25 regular season - the maddening adventure that began last October - is about to come to an end. We've already known for days now that there will be no last minute play-in tournament push to try and make it to the playoffs. This group is done, and they're about to enter the offseason with a ton of questions hanging over them.
Given the expectations in The Valley, this was probably the most disappointing campaign in franchise history. Kevin Durant has all but played his last game in Phoenix as well, an ankle sprain that caused him to miss some crucial games that led to their play-in exit, perhaps going to go down as the lasting memory of him in The Valley.
Moving on from General Manager James Jones isn't going to solve much.
Oh what a difference a few months makes. At the turn of the calendar year, we gave Jones kudos for continuing to build what we thought was a competitive roster, despite effectively having one hand tied behind his back. The contract of Jones is going to run down this summer, and the lack of chatter on this subject means he is likely leaving Phoenix alongside Durant, and hopefully Bradley Beal.
While fans would surely be happy for this to be the case, Jones - a bit like head coach Frank Vogel before him - might be something of the fall guy here. After all, it was he who made the decisions to draft both Ryan Dunn and Oso Ighodaro last summer. We've got to give him high marks for doing that because both are going to play for the Suns for some time, Dunn especially looking promising.
Jones also managed to get rid of center Jusuf Nurkic - and although he oversaw the trade that netted them the Bosnian in the first place - we are now getting to the core issue for the Suns, whether Jones is in the building or not. Mat Ishbia is still the owner - and as long as that is the case - he is going to take wild swings to try and improve his organization.
He was the one who wanted Durant, while he likely had a hand in moving on from Chris Paul in order to acquire Beal. Perhaps Jones was in on these deals as well - we'll never know - but if an owner wants to make a move and can get it done, then there's no much you can do. At least Jones tried to build the right team around these mad grabs for star players, bringing in sensible options.
Putting it on the record that I don't see much point in firing James Jones given that he did not push for either blockbuster trade that truly handicapped the Suns. He has made mistakes, but also has plenty of successes to point to. Would be very pointless.
— Sam Cooper (@scooperhoops) March 31, 2025
Tyus Jones being one such example, with Mason Plumlee another. Prior to that, a trade for Royce O'Neale not only made sense, it actively made the roster better. While the Suns have been trying to contend - and despite Ishbia continually going after big fish at every occasion - it is Jones who has been the consistent voice behind the scenes.
He also had to deal with a new head coach being put in front of him every summer for the last three seasons - but rather than complain about that fact - he continued working behind the scenes to make the Suns better. It might be time for Jones and the organization to part - he was never going to win any GM of the Year awards - but you're kidding yourself if you think it will make this any easier.