Phoenix Suns owner Mat Ishbia finally spoke out on the formation of a “superteam” led by Kevin Durant, Bradley Beal, and Devin Booker. He shared his opinion on the drastic changes the organization underwent since he took over as owner, generating a lot of attention across the NBA world in the process.
Out of all the teams across the league, the Suns are one of the few remaining that have yet to win an NBA championship. Ishbia made several roster upgrades with the hope of making franchise history. This leads many to wonder how he feels about his initial decision, especially since Durant and Beal are no longer a part of the team.
Mat Ishbia Defends the Phoenix Suns’ Management Over Kevin Durant
Fans will recall that the Suns advanced all the way to the 2021 NBA Finals. However, the team ultimately lost to Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks in six games.
After taking over in February 2023, Ishbia attempted to keep the Suns in contention by trading for Durant from the Brooklyn Nets. That was soon followed by the acquisition of Beal, making the Suns legitimate title contenders, on paper at least.
There is no denying that the organization underperformed with a team consisting of talented and experienced stars. The Suns were unable to advance past the second round of the Western Conference playoffs during Durant’s tenure with the team. Perhaps Ishbia and the other upper executives kept this in mind when they decided to trade away Durant.
During a recent episode of the Draymond Green Show, Ishbia made a special guest appearance and discussed the failure of the Suns during their time as a superteam.
“Suns have never won a championship. Let’s go try to win. It didn’t work but no one is going to think management doesn’t care… it’s easy to set no expectations and be better, when you set high expectations and miss, you get sh*t on.”
While some may sympathize with Ishbia, understanding the urge to make history, critics will be eager to point out that he should have considered retaining more of the original roster, including players such as Chris Paul, rather than blowing it all up in an attempt to form a superteam.
In any case, the only “good” news is the fact that there is no real sense of pressure or expectations on the Suns this season. While they still have Booker, who is now the best player and leader of the team once again, the team is expected to heavily underperform after losing Durant.
However, the Suns are currently 11-6, placing them sixth in the West and very much in the hunt for a title if the season were to end today. The Suns’ fan base is left hoping that the current roster can capitalize on its position as underdogs.
