When mortgage lender Matt Ishbia bought the Suns for a whopping $4 billion in late 2022, he promised that a championship would always be the ultimate goal. They were a year and a half removed from coming to within two games of claiming the hardware, and looked to book a finals appearance anew despite seemingly having taken a step back. So he pulled the trigger on a deal that had him casting moist eyes on the Larry O’Brien Trophy: He acquired all-time-great Kevin Durant from the Nets at the trade deadline, never mind the plethora of assets he had to give up in the process. And when that yielded yet another conference semifinals exit, he once again went big and got three-time All-Star Bradley Beal vice significant draft capital. Counting resident marquee name Devin Booker, he felt he had a Big Three that could take the measure of the best in the National Basketball Association.
Considering how the Suns crashed out of the 2024 Playoffs, however, it’s clear that Ishbia did not just fail to make good on his pledge. He crashed out spectacularly. Despite the top-heavy talent, the purple and orange found themselves being swept in the first round by the determined Timberwolves. And as he surveyed the landscape, he understood that even more change should be entertained for a deep postseason run to be at all possible. Because, as the disappointing exit proves, whatever he has previously thumbed up with pride isn’t working.
Not that Ishbia didn’t have cause to wax optimistic at the Suns’ prospects heading into the 2023-24 season. Unfortunately, Durant, Booker, and Beal never got to play together enough to establish lasting esprit de corps, what with injuries derailing their potency. What’s more, head coach Frank Vogel could not, for some reason, coax his charges to reach their potential. Perhaps it’s a lack of appreciation for the skill sets of the personnel at hand. Perhaps it’s their reluctance to work within the prevailing system. Or perhaps it’s both, leading to tumult in the locker room.
Ishbia may have deep pockets, but there’s no reason for him to foot a humongous bill for the Suns’ 2024-25 campaign if all they will be doing is scrapping and clawing merely to secure a playoff berth. Between Durant, Booker, and Beal, he will be forking over some $150 million — already more than the salary cap. Which means that he and general manager James Jones need to put on their thinking caps and find a solution — any solution — to their woes. Else, all the big names on their marquee will once more fall with a resounding thud.
Anthony L. Cuaycong has been writing Courtside since BusinessWorld introduced a Sports section in 1994. He is a consultant on strategic planning, operations and human resources management, corporate communications, and business development.