Ahead of the 2026/27 season, Suns owner Mat Ishbia, Suns forward Dillon Brooks, and former Suns forward Kevin Durant mixed it up on social media after Durant took exception to comments that Ishbia made in an interview with CNBC’s Alex Sherman (YouTube link).
Asked about the decision to acquire Durant from Brooklyn and the subsequent decision to trade him to Houston two-and-a-half years later, Ishbia suggested that he was more involved in the organization’s personnel moves by the time the team made the latter deal, as he focused on establishing the sort of culture he wanted within the organization.
“When I bought the team, the team was I think the eighth or ninth seed,” Ishbia said (story via Michael C. Wright of ESPN). “We had some good young players (and I was) like, ‘Can we get over the top?’ I was basically told like, ‘Hey, as an owner, stay out of it and give them some money.’ And so, I said, ‘Listen, we’ll go into the luxury tax. Go do whatever it takes to try to win a championship.’ We did that.
*“But (the roster after the Durant trade) was not aligned with my vision. We had a couple years and it did not succeed, as we’re well aware of at this point. After that year, I decided to trade Kevin Durant, bring in my GM (Brian Gregory), bring in a (new) coach (Jordan Ott), and get extremely involved personally, with the type of guy and type of person we want in our organization, not just on the court but off the court. I’m not saying it’s Kevin Durant or not Kevin Durant. But it is Dillon Brooks. It is Jordan Goodwin. It is Collin Gillespie. It is Oso Ighodaro. Of course, Devin Booker.*
“We’ve defined what matters to us. We have a thing called the Suns DNA. The type of player that we believe in, that we want. … What I’ve learned, my biggest lesson is – it’s not positive or negative on Kevin Durant – we have to define what we’re about in Phoenix and then stick with it and believe in our vision and our path. I didn’t do that at the beginning. I kind of just threw money at the problem.”
Responding to Ishbia’s comments, Durant tweeted, “#blameKD even though KD stayed on top of his game at 36 and got u back this ‘culture’ you love so much. Aye, Matthew acts like I got arrested for a DUI or sumn.”
Ishbia, in return, suggested Durant misinterpreted his comments and insisted he didn’t blame Durant for the Suns’ disappointing results during his time in Phoenix. “But (I) am happy with the culture we are building here in Phoenix,” Ishbia added (via Twitter). “We got the right guys and right focus now and are excited for this season. Good luck this season in Houston.”
Brooks, never one to stay quiet when there’s an opportunity to talk trash, jumped in via Instagram, as Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic relays (via Twitter). Brooks, who was acquired from Houston in the Durant trade, wrote, “Thanks Mat for cleaning up that stench in the locker room before I came. #culture.”
We have more on the Suns:
Within the same CNBC interview (YouTube link), Ishbia predicted that this year’s Suns will be better than the version that won 45 games last season and said he believes the club is capable of winning a playoff series.
Suns sharpshooter Luke Kennard, who is dealing with a left knee tendon strain, still has a chance to play in the team’s regular season opener in Portland on Wednesday. Head coach Jordan Ott said on Monday that Kennard “did more” in today’s practice and that he’ll have a lower-impact day on Tuesday to “try to be right” for Wednesday (Twitter video link via Rankin).
Assuming Kennard is available, the Suns appear likely to open the regular season with a 10-man rotation that features Booker, Brooks, Jalen Green, and Miles Bridges in the starting lineup and Gillespie, Goodwin, Kennard, and Ryan Dunn coming off the bench, Rankin writes for The Arizona Republic. Ighodaro and Khaman Maluach will round out the rotation, though it’s still not certain which of the two centers will start.
As Rankin notes, second-year forward Rasheer Fleming had been vying for a spot in the rotation but will probably be behind Dunn on the depth chart. While Fleming is a better three-point shooter and has good length and athleticism, the Suns like Dunn in the backup four role due to his defense and hustle, Rankin says.
In a story for his Suns After Dark Patreon, Gerald Bourguet outlines why he views Ighodaro’s new three-year, $29MM extension as a steal for the Suns, referring to the third-year big man as one of the NBA’s most underrated players.
In case you missed it, the Suns set their regular season roster on Monday bywaiving two-way players Koby Brea and CJ HuntleyandconvertingDuop Reath and waiver claim Drew Timme to two-way contracts.