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Suns owner Ishbia takes the blame for not having vision for team on day one

Originally posted on Burn City Sports
By Tanner Tortorella | Last updated Jul 18, 2025 6:51 PM ET

Phoenix Suns owner Mat Ishbia is taking full accountability for the team’s shortcoming in his tenure. Since his arrival in 2023, Ishbia has tried to push the envelope of what it means to be a dedicated, winning owner. In the first week on the job, he and then general manager James Jones push for the Kevin Durant trade, which caused a chain reaction to the franchise’s downfall.

Three coaches, two general managers, a Bradley Beal trade and more unnecessary drama later, Phoenix has quickly become the laughing stock of the NBA. Former players like Durant, Beal and Tyus Jones find the Suns downfall hilarious, which might be an indicator of the team’s lack of structure. Ishbia spoke with SiriusXM NBA radio talking about how he has seen and heard the criticism and is ready to address it next season by building an identity within the organization.

Ishbia on doing it the “right way” to building an identity with Suns:

“We are going to do it the right way here in Phoenix for the long term.”@Suns owner @Mishbia15 tells @TermineRadio and @Jumpshot8 he’s learning from past mistakes and is committed to constructing a winning team in Phoenix #SunsUp pic.twitter.com/vzzSAyc8HR

— SiriusXM NBA Radio (@SiriusXMNBA) July 18, 2025

Ishbia claims the front office and him are going to do it the “right way” on building a team that the fans can be proud to cheer on in the future. He doesn’t predict a timetable for when it could be fix, ranging it from one to 10 years. However, the 45-year-old owner will not have his passion or his care for this team questioned, as Ishbia plans to put all the resources in fixing the Suns.

The process started by hiring first-time head coach Jordan Ott to lead the franchise. Phoenix insisted on hiring former NBA head coaches that seemingly had no connection to the Valley or motivation to prove anything, as they’re already a championship-winning coach. This is Ott’s first chance at being an NBA head coach, and he will be hungry.

That mindset will resonate with team filled with young players that haven’t made it to the postseasons, mixed with veterans that want to get back to those moments. As Ishbia claimed, the process will be long but taking accountability and addressing the issue is an encouraging first step towards rebuilding.

This article first appeared on Burn City Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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