Mat Ishbia not only took responsibility for the Phoenix Suns' falling off as an NBA franchise but vowed to get more involved in changing its culture and identity.
So the team owner earned the right to take the stage at his end-of-season news conference last week and proudly applauded his team returning to the playoffs after missing it a year ago with a losing record.
The defending NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder swept Phoenix in the first round, but the Suns exceeded preseason expectations, with a consensus among the predictions being only 30 or so victories.
Ishbia is not even close to being satisfied, but he's confident the Suns are in a good place and taking the necessary steps to keep building and improving.
Sitting down with The Arizona Republic, Ishbia revisited the Kevin Durant trade to the Houston Rockets before the 2025 NBA Draft, the team's offseason plans, and being back in good graces with fans after enduring criticism following that 36-win season in 2024-25.
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Phoenix Suns owner Mat Ishbia at the end-of-season news conference on April 30, 2026, at Verizon 5G Performance Center in Phoenix.
Question: You made a huge call a year ago to trade Kevin Durant. Got Dillon Brooks, Jalen Green and Khaman Maluach. What were the conversations leading up to that decision?
Answer: We knew we had to do it, to make the trade. We knew we were going to make the trade. What we had to do is make sure we got the right things that were aligned with our identity. We look at it, we got four guys. We got Dillon, Jalen, Khaman and Rasheer (Fleming) because we used those picks to get the 31st pick (in the second round). Those players, could they all start next year, could they start the year after? Those are all four great players. So we feel great about what we did.
Kevin is in Houston now, and the way we looked at it is how do we make sure our organization is put in the best position for now and in the future. I think we did a very good job with it. You look at it now, it turned out to be a great trade for us. Not everyone said that the day we did it, but it turned out to be a fantastic trade for us and a huge part of our resetting our identity with those guys and building for the future as well.”
Phoenix Suns guards Jordan Goodwin (23) and Collin Gillespie (12) react to a Suns basket against the Houston Rockets in the second quarter at Toyota Center on Jan. 5, 2026.
What are the roster holes you want filled this summer?
Ishbia: I feel we have the right players in place, the right coach (Jordan Ott) in place, but they have to get better. Everyone has to get better. Everyone has got to improve. Sometimes, the feeling is "I got to go get this guy that does this," but what if my guy can already do that? He just has to continue to get better. We have a young, ascending team. So when you look at players like Rasheer, for example, a 21-year-old kid. Maluach, 19-year-old kid. Can they grow and fill some gaps, like defensive rebounding and other things? Can they do that, and can we also have different schemes, and how does the coach modify things to make it so we’re better at things?
I think a lot of times, looking externally is not always the right answer, especially when you have the great camaraderie, great culture, great identity that we have. I feel good about what we have right now. If there’s an opportunity to find another player, we will do that, but I like our team, and I think we’re going to get better next year. If we have less injuries and we have more continuity and our players did a little better, could we go from 45 to 48 to 50 wins? Where would we be? Next thing you know, you’re a top-five seed, and you’re winning a playoff series. How do you develop to that level?
How does being in a better place financially help you moving forward with making moves and keeping guys?
Ishbia: It’s key because we want to keep our team together. We have a couple of free agents, and we’re going to want to make sure. Those guys are being coveted by other teams, but they are going to want to stay here because we treat them great, and we’re going to pay them, and they see the opportunity to be a part of this organization with our coach, with our GM (Brian Gregory) and everyone around it. I think the continuity, we want to have it, they also want to have it, too. Those guys want to come back here and be in Phoenix, which should be a big deal. Jordan Goodwin and Collin Gillespie are unrestricted free agents, while 7-footer Mark Williams is a restricted free agent.
Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker (1), forward Oso Ighodaro (11) and guard Dillon Brooks (3) watch as the Dallas Mavericks attempt a free throw during a game at Mortgage Matchup Center in Phoenix on Feb. 10, 2026.
How do you feel about getting the fans back on board who were critical of you for how last season went by doing it your way, and have the franchise going in this direction?
Ishbia: It feels good. I’m a human being. People like to be liked and appreciated, and at the same time, I know I have a job to do. Too often, in my first couple of years, I tried to do what I thought everyone else wanted me to do rather than what I really believed. Now I’m doing what I believe, and if people don’t like it? We made a lot of decisions this year that people didn’t like and they thought it was wrong. You can point to different things. Jordan Goodwin or Jared Butler? Jordan Goodwin is our guy, and we got flak for it. That’s just one. There are a bunch of examples of that. Believing in ourselves and believing in doing it our way and what we think is the right thing to do is important, and I feel proud of where we’re at, and at the same time, I know what I’m capable of and what we’re capable of, and we’re going to keep building.
