The Robert Sarver era seems already far away today in Phoenix. Since arriving in Arizona late last year, Mat Ishbia, who succeeded the sulphurous previous owner of the Suns, continues to make his mark. No sooner had he arrived than he signed his first big move: the arrival of Kevin Durant in exchange for Mikal Bridges and Cameron Johnson.
Satisfied the ruler, to whom ESPN devotes a long paper ? Not exactly since he continued several months later, after a playoff campaign far from the expectations of the club, by sacrificing Chris Paul to bring in Bradley Beal. At the same time, Monty Williams, another emblematic figure in the revival of the Suns, was thanked and replaced by Frank Vogel.
“ We will win in everything we do. I don’t believe you can achieve anything by being average. That’s not who I am “, Displays the 43-year-old man who made his fortune in mortgages. We will better understand with such a mantra the spectacular turn made by the franchise. “ Mat empowered us and challenged us. He wants to do spectacular things “, says of him Josh Bartelstein, new CEO of the organization.
After betting on continuity for a while, Phoenix has decided to blow up its hard core and accumulate superstars, to aim for the title in the very short term (Kevin Durant is already 34 years old). Unlike the defending champions, the Nuggets, in short, against whom the Suns stumbled in the conference semifinals.
A strategy that is reminiscent of that used by Mikhail Prokhorov who, once arrived in Brooklyn, decided to transform his young team into a “bling bling” formation by bringing in the aging Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce. A bet that pays off, which the boss of the Suns is well aware of.
We are here to do great things
” I hope to win now “, However loose the former NCAA champion with Michigan State, who in addition to having attracted stars trusted James Jones to recover a number of “role players” (Eric Gordon, Keita Bates-Diop, Yuta Watanabe…) at low cost to supplement the workforce. Rarely for players at such a salary level, Ishbia called them personally to help close the deal.
As a result of the roster shake-up, the team’s payroll is expected to be $60 million more than Sarver’s last full season, in 2021-22. Mat Ishbia is not afraid to pay.
” We were encouraged and charged to do greater things. When you do great things, it takes more work, more results. And that requires more collaboration and cooperation from the whole team. We are here to do great things, not just to be a good team, but to be an elite team. “, does not hide James Jones.
The latter adds: I like the situation we are in now. We’re talking about building the best team in the NBA. The next few months and the truth on the ground will tell if this objective has been achieved.
