Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and a No. 6 seed – What to make of a topsy-turvy first year for Mat Ishbia’s Phoenix Suns،
MAT ISHBIA SAYS he has never had a cup of coffee. He doesn't need caffeine or a wake-up call.
On Tuesday, he had been up since 3:30 a.m. His Phoenix Suns were a disappointing 35-26, ravaged by injuries and inconsistency, and were preparing for the NBA to officially award the franchise the 2027 All-Star Game. His Phoenix Mercury was executing a $100 million plan to build a 123,000-square-foot training center. And he still ran a multibillion-dollar mortgage company, United Wholesale Mortgage, and managed 6,000 employees.
He also had not one, but two basketball games to watch that evening. The first was a youth game he coached. The second was the Suns' thrilling 117-107 overtime victory over the Denver Nuggets, their best win of the season — and one, for now, that kept them in sixth place in the Western Conference standings and out of the play-in. tournament.
“I'll do whatever it takes to win,” Ishbia said during a lengthy interview with ESPN to discuss his first year at the helm of the Suns and Mercury. “If we have to cross the second apron [the youth] the team too. We will move on to the second apron.”
He’s joking… sort of.
I tell my kids – they're 9, 10 and 13 – 'The goal is to have fun and get better at basketball, football or baseball, whatever I coach. But 'It's always more fun when we win.'
The Suns are one of five teams on the so-called “second apron” ($182.5 million of the NBA's new collective bargaining agreement, which was supposed to act as a sort of hard cap to discourage owners ultra-rich to spend their way to a championship).
The LA Clippers, Golden State Warriors, Boston Celtics and Milwaukee Bucks are the other teams in the second apron this year. Each of them indicated that they would prefer to go below this threshold for next season rather than face the draconian sanctions to which the teams in the second apron are subject.
Ishbia and the Suns are doing the opposite, and he says they'll do it again despite the uneven return on investment Ishbia and his ownership group have made in this season's team. Phoenix traded most of its future draft capital — the team does not own or control a first-round pick until 2031 — and depth for Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal during Ishbia's first five months at the head. He agreed to pay some $53 million in luxury taxes for a team that has been on the fringes of the Western Conference playoffs due to a series of injuries to its three stars.
“I understand all the rules that come with the second apron. I understand exactly what the ABC was trying to do,” he says. “I read it, I know it inside and out, and we made a calculated decision that we think the team with the best players wins. Would I rather have Brad Beal, Kevin Durant and Devin Booker rather than just having two of these guys? I'd rather have all three hundred times out of a hundred, and I don't think there's another general manager, owner or CEO that wouldn't say exactly the same thing.
“So now how do we get around that? Well, you need to differentiate yourself…I need to create an environment where [we’re] I'm trying to be the best franchise in a sport where players want to come play. »
DURING THIS YEAR Since paying disgraced owner Robert Sarver $4 billion for the Suns and Mercury, Ishbia says he's been focused on creating that environment. From greenlighting trades for Durant, Beal and former WNBA Finals MVP Kahleah Copper, to committing to the Mercury's new practice facility, to hiring Nick U'Ren, executive of the Golden State Warriors, as general manager of the Mercury, leading an ambitious plan. To make Suns and Mercury broadcasts free to five times as many people on basic cable, or to host the WNBA and NBA All-Star Games, Ishbia says it all has to fit into the overarching goal that he set for his franchises.
“That’s what you’re supposed to do as an owner,” Durant told ESPN. “It’s about fighting every year.
“What else are you supposed to do? Sit back and hope you get a draft pick that turns out to be Victor.” [Wembanyama]? No.”
And he is committed to investing the same amount of energy into Mercury as he does into the Suns.
“Every time he says Suns, he says Mercury,” U’Ren told ESPN. “It’s been just awesome because there’s such a need on the women’s side, and there’s so much potential for growth and success with someone who cares like him.”
The aggressive approach won Ishbia friends and enemies in a short time. It could be argued that the Suns forgoing local television revenue to expand viewership could harm other franchises' leverage in their broadcast rights negotiations. Or that the construction of a new WNBA practice facility puts pressure on other franchises to do the same, even if they can't afford it. Or that voluntarily going beyond the second apron each year thwarts the intentions of the new CBA.
“I don’t think they care what I do,” Ishbia says of the team’s other owners. “I think they like new people to question what they've done. Maybe other teams won't want to do a TV deal. … But I don't work for other NBA owners , I work for Phoenix fans. My job is to serve Mercury and Suns fans.
And he says he doesn't care about getting back what he invested.
“I never use the term ROI [return on investment]”, says Ishbia. “I don't think like that. I think investing, doing the right thing, building the business, trying to be successful, trying to win, whether it's mortgages or basketball. And you know what? Money always follows success. “No fan cares if the owner makes money. He's a billionaire. How much did he make or lose from the luxury tax? They don't care at all. They want me to make my best to help us win a championship.”
ISHBIA ACCOUNT with the reality that the Suns didn't win as much as expected this season – the Caesars had an over/under win total projection of 50.5 – as their three stars missed a total of 48 games due to injury .
What if this investment did not lead to a participation in the playoffs, let alone a championship?
“If we don't win this year…which is possible…then we'll say, 'OK, what can we do better to try to win next year? Should I adjust? Should- Do we run different games? Do we need different players? [we] change something? What should I do?” Ishbia said. “All I'm focusing on is how to win now. I don't think about what our 2031 draft [is] will look like. I’m excited about the 2024 playoffs.”
Even though Ishbia isn't thinking about anything beyond these playoffs, a harsh reality awaits the Suns if they fail to win a title. They'll likely keep this year's first-round pick — the two teams with trade rights are already in a better position than Phoenix — but the new restrictions going into effect on second-apron teams will make it difficult for them. make any other significant changes to the list. They won't be able to get more money back in an exchange than they send. They won't be able to make 2-for-1 or 3-for-1 deals for another star to play alongside Durant, Booker and Beal. And they won't have access to any free agency exceptions other than the veteran minimum.
For better or worse, they are committed to their current core for the next two seasons, after which Durant's contract expires and Beal can become a free agent by declining his $57.1 million player option for 2026 -2027.
Booker, for his part, isn't ready to consider anything beyond this season. “Everyone here is on the same page,” Booker told ESPN. “We're in win-now mode. We want excellence. We know it's not going to be easy. It's a new team, but when you give up so much, we try to win this year and the years to come. “
