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Baxter Holmes, ESPN Senior Writer
PHOENIX — Days after the Phoenix Suns' season started with championship hopes ending in a disappointing sweep in the first round of the playoffs, Suns owner Matt Ishbia announced that the team will continue to play with Frank Vogel next season.・He declined to say whether the coach will continue.
Ishbia also declined to offer support to Vogel, who just days ago had the “full support” of Ishbia before returning to the team on which he last signed a five-year, $31 million contract. He said he was “very” confident in this. summer.
Ishbia, who acquired the Suns in February 2023, made the remarks during postseason media availability at Footprint Center on Wednesday, just days after the Suns lost to the Minnesota Timberwolves on their home floor.
Suns general manager James Jones also spoke to reporters Wednesday.
Ishbia said he has not had any discussions with Suns officials or players about their futures and was in Phoenix this week to discuss the matter in person.
“We will evaluate everything,” Ishbia said, adding: “Everything is on the evaluation table. We are just getting started.”
Ishbia spoke to reporters a year after the team fired coach Monty Williams, and that Suns star shooting guard Devin Booker has had six head coaches in nine years. It was pointed out that he had played under
Could bringing in another new head coach soon give Ishbia pause? Ishbia said he doesn't care about that idea and his only concern is whether the team is good enough and has the right talent to win a championship.
Jones praised Vogel, but he also coached the core of players he spent his first full season with after acquiring star forward Kevin Durant last February and star guard Bradley Beal last summer. He also mentioned the difficulty of this.
“I think Frank did a great job considering the circumstances,” Jones said. “I thought the staff did a great job. I thought the players did a really good job, but it wasn't enough to achieve our goals.”
During his 25-minute address to reporters, Ishbia frequently mentioned the disappointments of the season.
“I'm very happy that people are frustrated that we didn't win the NBA Championship, because we're the same way,” he said, adding, “From that perspective, people are frustrated that we didn't win the NBA Championship. I'm happy with what I was able to do,” he added. I'm disappointed, because no one is more disappointed than me, my GM, my players, my coaches, the fans. For 50 years, and probably 45, 46, 47 of those years, we're probably going to have the same conversation — like, hey, we didn't win a championship and we'd be disappointed then too. . That's how it turns out, and I love it. ”
Ishbia remained confident in the team's future moving forward, saying the Suns are in a “great position,” but he also promised big salaries and the number of draft picks he traded to acquire Durant and Beal. Because of this, he downplayed concerns about flexibility in building the roster.
“I feel like it’s a story all around me. [here is] The house is on fire, that's a mistake,” Ishbia said, adding, “Fans are going to look into the future and say, 'I really like that 2031 draft pick, because that seventh-grader could be really good and we 'That's what happens,''' he added. We're going to draft him and someday he's going to be a player. ”
He later added, “Over the next eight years, we're going to have five first-round draft picks. I know it's not a cool thing to say publicly, but people will They like to say they don't have any draft picks, but we have five first-round draft picks.''For the next eight years, you have the flexibility to trade two of them next month if you want. This is not to say that there is no sex. ”
Jones agreed, saying, “We have everything we need going into this offseason to add players and positions that will make us better.”
The Suns enter this offseason with a $209 million annual salary, the highest of any NBA team, and face a projected luxury tax penalty of $116 million.
The Suns also could stay above the so-called second apron of the luxury tax for at least the next three years if they can maintain their core. That position leads to punitive consequences and limits your ability to add to your roster.
Ishbia noted that building continuity is important, as the starting five players are under multi-year contracts.
“It was never like, 'Let's win a championship this year or we've got to blow it up,'” Ishbia said. “… Win or lose, this is not a loss. We're in a great position. We'll be in a great position next year.”
He cited the team's issues, along with its health and overall newness, but said it was “very fixable.”
“Let's be real — ask the other 29 GMs.” [in the NBA], 26 of them would be willing to trade their entire team and draft picks outright,” Ishbia said. We are in a great position. It's not difficult to fix. We have enough talent to win a championship.”
Ishbia said the team won 49 regular season games and had a 26-15 record in those games, even though key players Beal, Booker and Durant played together for exactly half of the regular season. Taking into account what remains, this is a 52-win pace. They have a good record, finishing in 4th place in the Western Conference.
“We're very close to where we need to be,” Ishbia said.
Ishbia also defended the trades the team made, especially the big-ticket trades for Beal and Durant.
“If you look back at some of the trades that James and all of us have been a part of, we do those things 100 out of 100 times, not 99 out of 100, 100 out of 100,” Ishbia said. he said. “And we're still doing the same thing over and over again. And I think.” [the] 29 other GMs would do the exact same thing. We are happy with our movement on and off the court and are really proud of it. ”
Ishbia said he and others are to blame after a season in which the team failed to live up to high expectations.
“Let's be real — ask the other 29 GMs.” [in the NBA], 26 of whom would trade their entire team and draft picks outright. The house is not on fire. We are in a great position. It's not difficult to fix. We have enough talent to win a championship.”
Suns owner Matt Ishbia
“Did you think it would be easy? No,” Ishbia said. “But do you think we have a great chance to win next year? Yes. And if you think we don't, I say, 'Listen, I don't think we have a chance.' This is a good enough team to win the championship.”
Jones praised the Timberwolves, saying they are the better team and saying the Suns' lack of communication (a frequently cited issue) is due in part to this being the first season the Big 3 has come together under the first team. pointed out that this was the cause. head coach of the year.
“I thought our communication had gotten better, but under stress, I saw a lack of chemistry, a lack of cohesion, and uncertainty over and over again, and I knew we had to accelerate that as a team. '' Jones said.
Both Ishbia and Jones said the Suns are an attractive team and Phoenix is an attractive market for free agents.
“We're going to look at every channel and consider every scenario to add and build teams,” Jones said. “It's important to remember that we start with six, seven, eight really good players.”
Jones also said the Suns need more time together to build continuity. During the first-round series, Coach Vogel frequently cited the lack of communication and inconsistent play among his players that lingered throughout the season.
“For us, chemistry is built over time,” Jones said. “And I actually think that chemistry is built through fire. So when I asked our players today how their chemistry is after going through the pain that they went through last week, they I guarantee you when we go into training camp next year, we're a tighter, more cohesive group. ”
