Suns’ Gregory Discusses Ott, Booker, Bridges, Green

The Suns raised some eyebrows around the NBA when they named longtime college coach Brian Gregory to be their new general manager in May 2025. After going 36-46 in 2024/25, Gregory helped reshape the team last offseason, trading Kevin Durant to Houston for Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks and the 10th overall pick in 2025 (Khaman Maluach) and hiring first-time head coach Jordan Ott.

Phoenix bounced back with a 45-37 record last season, advancing to the playoffs as the eighth seed before being swept in the first round by the top-seeded Thunder.

Gregory acknowledged to Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic (subscriber link) that he wasn’t a popular choice among fans at the time and says there are aspects of the job that he might not be an expert in, and he’s fine with that.

“I mean, obviously it was a challenge, but at the same time, I felt we had a lot of good pieces in place,” Gregory said. “For me, it’s about basketball and relationships. I think at times you can maybe overcomplicate things. There’s a lot of stuff I still don’t (know), and I’m okay with that. That’s one of the best things. I’m okay with that. I have people around me that know it.

“(Owner) Mat (Ishbia) wanted me to concentrate on our players, our coaches and those relationships and getting everybody moving in the same direction, and that was kind of the call to order. And although it was maybe not seen as maybe the best move at the time, I had confidence. Mat had the courage to do it.

“You can work your way through things. I think that’s what we’ve done. I think our work ethic, and not just mine, but everybody around me, everybody in the 5G (practice facility) but then hiring the right coach really helps really helps.”

Here are a few more highlights from Rankin’s conversation with Gregory:

• Regarding the hiring of Ott, Gregory said it didn’t take him a full season to realize he was the right choice for the job. “One of the best things about Jordan Ott is he’s never satisfied, meaning he never satisfied with himself. Wants to get better. Always trying to figure out ways,” Gregory said. “He’s understood that for our players to be able to merge the idea of becoming the best player you can be while playing in a team setting. Very few guys have been able to do that and he’s one of them.”
• Gregory remains a staunch supporter of star guard Devin Booker, who has drawn some external criticism for his play relative to the size of his contract. “I’m privy to some stuff that fans and/or media aren’t privy to. I see what he does every single day. I see what he does for every player on our team, for every coach,” Gregory told Rankin. “He understands that there’ll be criticism that comes his way. He is as quality of superstar as anybody will ever be around, and I think sometimes what happens is you just start taking things for granted. You think we’re entitled to that. What he does on a daily basis and what he goes through from a pure basketball perspective. Watching it game-by-game and for him to keep coming back. I’m not sure anybody truly has a great evaluation of what that looks like.”
• While he declined to directly discuss potential contract negotiations with Miles Bridges or Green, who are both eligible for extensions, he suggested a deal for Bridges could be a priority. “We traded for Miles because we think it’s going to be an impactful player for us. OK? You can read into that,” Gregory said. “Jalen Green, he was part of a big trade as well. Last year, because of injury, he didn’t get to show everything. I feel all the confidence in the world that he’s going to be able to show that this year. We don’t talk about players’ contracts, but at the same time, they are highly valued players in our organization.”