Suns CEO Signing Extension; McNair Staying With Clippers

Suns CEO Josh Bartelstein, who holds the same title with the WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury, is finalizing a contract extension, owner Mat Ishbia tells Shams Charania of ESPN.

“From day one, I knew Josh was the right person to help build the culture and organization that I envisioned in Phoenix — on and off the court,” Ishbia told ESPN. “He is my trusted partner in every aspect of our basketball operations [Suns and Mercury] and business side as well. His knowledge of basketball, care for our players and the strong relationships he has across the NBA and WNBA have been invaluable in building our success and will continue to shape our future. His leadership has elevated our entire organization.

“He is one of the best CEOs in all of sports, and happens to be one of the youngest, too, and I’m excited to keep working next to Josh as we continue to build on our success.”

As Charania notes, Bartelstein turns 37 years old next week. He has been with the organization since 2023, when Ishbia bought his majority stake in the franchise from Robert Sarver. Bartelstein, whose father is agent Mark Bartelstein, got his start as an executive in Detroit and quickly worked his way up the ranks.

In other front office-related news, former Kings general manager Monte McNair is staying with the Clippers in an advisory role, per Sam Amick of The Athletic (Twitter link). McNair spent the 2025/26 campaign in the same position with Los Angeles, but his contract expired. Rather than joining a new club, he’ll remain with the Clips.

A longtime member of Houston’s front office before he became Sacramento’s top basketball decision-maker, McNair spent five years as the Kings’ GM and was named Executive of the Year in 2023. He parted ways with the team in April 2025 and was subsequently linked to a couple of president of basketball operations jobs before joining the Clippers as an advisor.