Now that Suns majority owner Robert Sarver has officially announced his intention to sell the team, Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic examines a possible purchase price for a desirable, championship-caliber NBA franchise. Sarver will also be selling the WNBA’s, Phoenix Mercury.
Vorkunov notes that the Suns and Mercury could fetch over $3 billion. As the controlling owner of both clubs, Sarver will earn the biggest slice of the pie.
There’s more out of Phoenix:
- Though the departure of Robert Sarver is an encouraging step for the Suns and the league at large, Howard Beck of Sports Illustrated writes that, because Sarver is ultimately departing without being forced by the league’s other owners, and is set to become potentially billions of dollars richer in his exit, the disgraced team owner’s “punishment” feels less-than-fair.
- The Suns will have some issues to address on the court this season beyond the off-court Robert Sarver drama that is now behind them, opines David Aldridge of The Athletic. Potential chemistry issues between head coach Monty Williams and re-signed starting center Deandre Ayton and the disappointing playoff finishes of All-Star guards Chris Paul and Devin Booker are the chief puzzles facing the team itself heading into the 2022/23 season. Phoenix will have to contend with a crowded Western Conference this year and could face an uphill battle to return to the NBA Finals.
- Suns CEO Jason Rowley addressed Phoenix staff members during a conversation with all the team’s employees on Wednesday, reports Baxter Holmes of ESPN. Rowley indicated during the call that interim governor Sam Garvin would stay on in that position while the sale of the team was underway and that Robert Sarver would have no involvement with anyone in the organization, per the terms of the one-year suspension. “I’m beyond happy, I’m empowered and I’m motivated to continue to ensure that all of the men in that organization still in power who upheld this culture are rooted out,” said one Suns employee who took part in the investigation that would ultimately lead to Sarver’s decision to sell.
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