The Phoenix Suns offseason is here in full force, much sooner than expected. Coming off a thoroughly embarrassing season where they missed the play-in entirely, the Suns now have a head coaching vacancy to fill and front office changes to consider, not to mention potential Kevin Durant trade scenarios to sift through, Bradley Beal’s future to figure out, and now, Bob Myers rumors.
As owner Mat Ishbia put it during exit interviews, “Changes are coming.”
The question is, what will those changes look like? Reading the tea leaves, and based on some new intel from sources who spoke with PHNX Sports, here are five offseason predictions for what’s coming over the next few months.
1. James Jones and Josh Bartelstein will stay on in reduced or altered roles
Ishbia said point blank during exit interviews that no one should be expecting Phoenix to hire a new head coach in the next week or two. There are two main reasons for that.
First, although there are plenty of intriguing candidates to replace Mike Budenholzer as the next Suns coach, a lot of them are assistant coaches on current playoff teams whose seasons haven’t wrapped up yet. That makes it a difficult time of year for setting up interviews.
But perhaps just as importantly, Ishbia and the organization are taking their time to establish a new identity. Much like certain traits come to mind when you think of the Pittsburgh Steelers or Michigan State Spartans, Ishbia wants the Suns basketball to mean something, and then find people align with that vision.
According to a source, establishing that identity is currently their top priority, so before Phoenix starts evaluating coaching candidates, trade options or free agency targets, they’ll be honing in on the attributes this organization will embody from the top down.
“There’s gonna be a lot of change,” Ishbia said when asked about the futures of James Jones and Josh Bartelstein. “Here’s what I’ll say: Coach Bud, that change was made, that didn’t need more evaluation. Everything’s gonna be evaluated, but it’s gonna start with me being accountable when setting an identity, and then making sure that the identity we set for Phoenix Suns is set from the ownership….Those are the changes I’m gonna be focused on right now. And then they all will fall into line. And we are gonna be making changes and things are gonna be different.”
Once that identity is set, the Suns’ first order of business will be turning their attention to the front office and likely revamping it. Whether James Jones is the right fit there remains to be seen, per multiple sources. More than likely, the Suns will either let Jones walk when his contract expires in June or keep him on in an advisory role to consult with whatever new general manager they hire.
One source mentioned that Phoenix values Jones’ eye for talent and the perspective he brings to the table as a former player, but it feels like his days of being one of the chief voices on the basketball side may be over — or at least look slightly different — soon.
As for Josh Bartelstein, one source assured PHNX Sports that he will remain as CEO. However, if Jones is no longer the Suns’ general manager and a new GM is brought in to be the main decision-maker, that would likely require less input from Bartelstein on the basketball side than he was contributing with James Jones in that position.
“We do it together,” Jones said of working with Bartelstein. “When it comes to basketball, that’s me, that’s my area of focus. I own that, I stand by that. And my job is to make sure we continue to improve, we change in the right ways. And if that means changing roles, if that means changing responsibilities, from year to year those things change, from moment to moment. But ultimately, whatever’s best for the team is what we do.”
Bartelstein will still be involved on the Suns and the Mercury side, but if the Suns go out and hire a new GM, that person will be running the show moving forward.
“I feel comfortable in my role, because I know that what [Mat Ishbia] wants to do, my job is to be here every single day doing it,” Bartelstein said. “But we gotta do better here, and we will.”
With Jones leaving the door open for a possible change in responsibilities and it sounding like Bartelstein may shift focus to more of the business side, it’s not hard to read between the lines and understand that Ishbia is serious when he talks about making changes. If their roles were to remain the exact same moving forward, Ishbia probably would’ve just said that. Likewise, if he were firing them, that probably would’ve happened before the Suns trotted them both out there for exit interviews.
Bearing all that in mind, it’s easy to imagine a world where both Jones and Bartelstein remain with the Suns in reduced or altered roles, while the team hires a new GM to take control of the decision-making process. Which brings us to the Bob Myers rumors!
2. Suns will seriously consider Bob Myers, but ultimately go in a different direction
Over the last few days, there have been several conflicting reports about Bob Myers and the Suns’ interest in hiring him as their new general manager. The Stein Line/DLLS reporter/friend of the program Marc Stein first reported Phoenix’s strong interest in trying to lure Myers back to the front office world, which AZ Central’s Duane Rankin seconded, citing sources who said Ishbia has been “pushing hard” to land the former Golden State Warriors GM.
Those reports framed the Suns as the pursuers, but Arizona Sports’ John Gambadoro shot down the idea that they were chasing Bob Myers multiple times. All three reporters mentioned here are well-connected and reputable, so how do we reconcile those conflicting reports?
Well, according to a source, Bob Myers does indeed want to come to Phoenix. He was not the only well-respected candidate that has expressed interest in joining the Suns front office over the last few days either, and Rankin identified Jon Horst as one of those before the Milwaukee Bucks GM agreed to an extension.
Contrary to popular belief (and how the fanbase is probably feeling about the team right now), the Suns are still an attractive destination, not just for players, but for front office executives as well. Aside from the warm weather, the city of Phoenix and Devin Booker, the Suns have established themselves as an organization that players want to join under a new ownership regime that isn’t afraid to spend in the pursuit of competing.
It’s not just the money being allocated to players, coaches and potentially front office execs, however. General managers and coaches want to be part of an organization where they don’t have to worry about their owner ducking the luxury tax. And while Ishbia publicly committed to the Suns no longer having the league’s biggest payroll next year, taking a step back to regroup doesn’t mean full-scale teardown either. Phoenix intends to be competitive, and having an owner willing to spend to empower his GM makes the Suns a more attractive job opening than some might be willing to acknowledge.
However, as much as Myers’ interest is real and the Suns would have to consider hiring an executive who’s won championships and brings a level of professionalism to the position, there are plenty of potential obstacles to consider. As Stein reported and another source conveyed to PHNX Sports, Bob Myers and his family are based out of Los Angeles. That’s a short flight to Phoenix, but Myers is a big on spending time with his family and may not want to commit to living in Phoenix full-time.
Based on Ishbia’s comments during exit interviews about establishing a culture and finding true believers who fit their vision, would the Suns be okay with Myers trying to do the job if he’s only in Phoenix to do the job, say, 70 percent of the time, as opposed to 100 percent of the time? And as they identify these new, grimy, defensive-minded traits they want to embody, does Myers — someone whose successful track record is likely accompanied by his own mindset on the proper way of doing things — mesh with all of that?
Bob Myers’ interest in Phoenix is real, and a union here would certainly make sense. But it’s also entirely possible that the Suns go in a different direction, hiring someone less well-known who’s cut from the same cloth as what they want moving forward.
3. Rockets picks won’t be the be-all and end-all for Kevin Durant trade
As you may have heard, the Houston Rockets own the Suns’ first-round pick in this year’s draft, which currently has the ninth-best odds of being the No. 1 overall pick. Even if it doesn’t make that kind of leap into the NBA Draft Lottery, it’s still likely to be a top-10 pick. The Rockets also own the Suns’ first-round pick in 2027, and in 2029, Houston will receive the two most favorable picks between their own first, Phoenix’s first and the Dallas Mavericks’ first (the Brooklyn Nets will receive the least favorable of the three).
With Durant likely on the trade block and the Rockets being identified as a young team in need of a go-to guy on offense, it’s been easy to connect the dots and see how there might be mutual interest between Phoenix and Houston.
If the Rockets flame out early in this year’s playoffs, they may feel more inclined to make a win-now move to boost the postseason prospects of their young core rather than being patient, which is what Marc Stein has been reporting as their approach.
But even if the Rockets do express interest in KD, don’t expect the Suns to prioritize getting their picks back above all else. Getting this year’s pick, which will likely fall in the top 10? A source said that’s obviously something that would be attractive to Phoenix. But as for their picks in 2027 and 2029? That may not hold the same relevance to this front office as it would for the fanbase.
Consider how many times Mat Ishbia has talked about the Suns intending to be good enough to ensure their picks don’t hold as much value. This year’s exit interviews were a stark contrast from last year’s defiant tone, but even as Phoenix prepares to take something of a step back this summer, they don’t view it as a full-scale rebuild. They’re not counting on being bad enough in 2027 or 2029 for those picks coming back to hurt them.
Whether that’s the right approach or not remains to be seen, and there are obvious pitfalls that could arise (as we saw this season). But the Suns don’t expect to continue losing beyond this disappointing season, and especially not after spending this summer establishing a new identity, hiring a coach (and potentially a GM) that embodies those traits, and then tailoring their roster to be scrappier and more competitive around Devin Booker next year.
If the Rockets are actually interested in KD and offer a quality deal that nets the Suns a top-10 pick, that’d be a tough offer to top. But don’t expect Phoenix to bend over backwards just to try and get all of their picks back, because they’ll want that return package to offer some quality players too (and it’s probably not even realistic on Houston’s side to offer all those picks anyway).
4. Suns will still trade Kevin Durant
This is more of a gimme now, but there are still plenty of fans holding out hope that Phoenix can find a way to retool around their superstar duo of Kevin Durant and Devin Booker. We’ve already heard Chris Haynes mention how the Suns’ next head coach could potential play a factor in KD’s future in Phoenix, and Marc Stein reported Royal Ivey would be an even stronger candidate for Phoenix if Durant — his former Texas/Oklahoma City Thunder teammate — stayed in the Valley.
However, it’s probably just wishful thinking to hope that Durant will be back in a Suns jersey next season. According to a source, if and when Phoenix puts a new GM in place, it’s hard to imagine a scenario where they bring Durant back. “Trade Kevin Durant” is a hellacious first task for a newly-hired general manger to undergo, but if the Suns dangled KD at the trade deadline, they certainly won’t have changed their minds about moving him after watching this team fail to reach the play-in.
That’s not squarely on KD’s shoulders by any means, but Ishbia admitted during exit interviews that the Suns’ approach didn’t work, and that it was time to alter course.
“The biggest thing that I’m able to do, and you’ll learn about me, and I think you’re probably seeing it and people can criticize me for it, is when I make a mistake or things don’t go well, I change fast,” Ishbia said. “We make quick moves, and I’m not afraid to do that. And the mortgage business included: We tried that, that didn’t work, pivot, right? And we will do that.”
Durant was the Suns’ best player over the last two years on both ends of the floor, and on the surface, trading an All-NBA caliber players seems like an odd way to put Phoenix back on the path to contention. But KD will also turn 37 in September, and while his age hasn’t slowed him down, Father Time comes for us all. Signing him to a two-year contract at this point would be an expensive endeavor that would only make sense if the Suns were still contenders. Cashing in on his value now to bring in players who align with the timeline of a 28-year-old Devin Booker might make more sense.
This is also an unfortunate byproduct of Beal’s $50 million salary gumming up the works from a salary cap perspective, since his contract handcuffs the Suns and limits their flexibility to put a winning supporting cast around Book and KD.
In any case, this iteration of the Suns has reached its ceiling, which was nowhere near high enough. So as unfortunate as it will be to watch Phoenix trade away the best NBA player to ever don the purple and orange, it’s a necessary step backward in order to move forward again. And if the Suns can conjure up a bidding war for his services with multiple suitors, maybe they can salvage a bad situation.
5. Bradley Beal gets waive-and-stretched
If the Suns can find a potential trade partner for Bradley Beal without having to give up assets, that’s still the most preferable path to getting out of the remaining two years and $110.8 million on his deal. But as we covered in-depth already, there is another potential option: waiving-and-stretching his contract after getting him to agree to a buyout.
The need to move on from Beal is obvious: He’s played 54 and 53 games in his two seasons with the Suns, and unlike last year, when he and the Big 3 were a net positive on the court, Phoenix was outscored by 8.0 points per 100 possessions with Beal on the court this year. Couple that with his production failing to match up to his inflated salary, and it’s imperative for Phoenix to move on from him this summer.
According to a source, the likelihood of Beal still being on the Suns next season is “very low,” especially since he doesn’t seem to fall in line with a lot of the attributes that Ishbia and Jones mentioned during exit interviews when describing the team’s new identity.
In terms of the “how” of it all, Beal’s no-trade clause feels like the boogeyman. But when Beal’s agent, Mark Bartelstein, spoke with PHNX Sports, he left the door open for a potential change of scenery.
“I don’t ever operate in absolutes in anything,” Bartelstein said. “If there was a trade that we thought was a great win-win for everyone, then yeah, you always should have an open mind.”
Given how this “Big 3” era panned out, the vitriol Beal and his family have had to deal with in the Valley, and the Suns bringing him off the bench for the first time in his NBA career, it wouldn’t be surprising if Beal were open to a change of scenery. In fairness, he did say he still wanted to be in Phoenix late in the season.
“I believe in what we got in there,” he said. “Things happen, man. We didn’t have a good year. We couldn’t put it together like we wanted, but nobody hates the other man, nobody dislikes anybody else. I love Phoenix. I love being here. I hope that I can continue to be here. But I know Mat [Ishbia], he’s gonna probably make some changes.”
If the Suns make it clear they want him gone, or if they go with the nuclear option and threaten to bench him again, suddenly that no-trade clause becomes less rigid, or maybe both sides are more open to a buyout leading to his remaining money being waived-and-stretched.
In a normal waive-and-stretch scenario, the Suns would take the remaining $110.8 million he’s owed and stretch that amount over the next five years, meaning that every year from 2025-26 through the 2029-30 campaign, the Suns would have $22.2 million on their cap sheet devoted to the Ghost of Bradley Beal.
But as his contract is currently constructed, that move wouldn’t be allowed. According to the CBA, teams can devote no more than 15 percent of the salary cap amount to “dead money.” Next year’s salary cap is projected to be $154.6 million, so the 15 percent limit for dead money would be approximately $23.2 million.
Beal’s annual $22.2 million in dead money would fit beneath that limit, but the Suns would also have to factor in the $3.1 million in dead money from waiving-and-stretching Nassir Little, as well as the $707,000 in dead money from doing the same with E.J. Liddell. Add up the amounts for those three players and you get just below $26 million — well beyond the allowable threshold of $23.2 million for next year.
However, the NBA’s stretch provision does allow teams to negotiate a reduced salary as part of this buyout agreement, so Beal would be able to agree to a lesser amount that Phoenix could waive-and-stretch without that new annual amount pushing them beyond the 15 percent threshold for next season.
Working out the math, if you subtract Little’s $3.1 million and Liddell’s $707,000, and that leaves Phoenix with just under $19.4 million in space for additional dead money. That means Beal’s annual amount for waiving-and-stretching his contract would have to be less than $19.4 million per year. Basically, he’d have to agree to receive a reduced salary of $96.9 million or less over the next five years.
Could the Suns get him down to an $80 million buyout, where he’d only be on the books for $16 million annually over the next five years? That’s a lot of money for Beal to leave on the table, but as bad as his Suns tenure has gone, he could easily make up that deficit with a two-year, $30 million contract or a three-year, $30 million agreement on his next deal.
Regardless of what the years or dollars amount to, Beal’s next contract should be able to shore up whatever money he loses in a buyout. His time in Phoenix has been a disappointment, but he’s still good enough for some team to throw him $10 million or $15 million a year.
A trade is still the most preferable path, and one the Suns will likely explore once they sort out the front office. But since it’s unlikely that some team will want to take on his current contract without draft capital attached, a waive-and-stretch feels like the more feasible path to reducing Beal’s cap hit…even with the long-term ramifications that are attached.
