The Phoenix Suns are moving on from star player chasing to star GM hunting.
They are interested in luring Bob Myers back to the NBA front office after he left the Golden State Warriors in 2023, according to “The Stein Line.”
“Ishbia is said to have maintained a longstanding interest in trying to convince Myers to return to the role in which he presided over four Warriors championships,” Marc Stein and Jake Fischer reported on “The Stein Line” on Wednesday, April 23.
Myers is the architect of the Warriors’ dynasty that produced four championships in the last decade.
Skepticism Surrounding Bob Myers’ Interest in Joining Suns
Stein and Fischer, however, added that there is “skepticism” more than optimism in the Suns’ bid to convince Myers to clean up the mess in Phoenix.
“The Suns’ obstacles, though, are more than financial. Word is that Myers greatly enjoys his lucrative consulting role with the NFL’s Washington Commanders (who happen to be owned by the 76ers’ Josh Harris) on top of his TV work with ESPN. Those jobs afford him much more family time than coming back to front-officing would. Plus a lot less stress.” Stein and Fischer wrote.
When Myers stepped down as the Warriors’ general manager and president of basketball operations, he cited the time and stress of leading a front office as the driving force behind his decision.
“The bottom line is this job, the one I’m in – I would say this for any professional General Manager or coach, requires complete engagement, complete effort, one-thousand percent,” Myers said in May 2023. “If you can’t do it, then you shouldn’t do it. So that’s the answer to the question of why. I can’t do that to our players, I can’t do that to Joe, Peter, really I can’t do it to myself. And that’s the question I’ve been wrestling with.”
Suns Realize Big 3 Mistake
The Suns are a mess after they failed to make the postseason despite Ishbia bankrolling the most expensive roster led by the Big 3 of Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal.
After firing three coaches in three years, Ishbia has come to terms that star power is not enough to win in the NBA.
According to NBA insider Chris Haynes, the Suns are shifting their strategy in roster-building.
“One thing that I was told is that the Suns want to transition,” Haynes said on “Haynes’ Briefs” Friday, April 18. “They want to move away from the model that they’ve been going after for the previous two years of accumulating star talent, star players and then trying to see if it can mesh on the court. They want to move away from that and they are going to move away from that.
“So, the purpose right now and the goal moving into next season is to accumulate defensive-minded tough players. They want to play a defensive-minded, grind-it-out type of game. They want to have a product on a court that fans can appreciate.”
Kevin Durant Decision
On top of their agenda this offseason is their looming decision on Durant, who is extension-eligible.
The Suns nearly traded Durant back to the Warriors at the trade deadline. But Durant nixed the deal when he learned about it.
They are expected to revisit trade talks this summer, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania.
“Phoenix is expected to engage in trade conversations involving Durant and will have discussions on the future of Beal, according to sources. Multiple teams will seriously pursue Durant, who finished another stellar season, and the franchise is expected to work with Durant and his business partner and Boardroom CEO Rich Kleiman on the next landing spot for the future Hall of Famer,” Charania wrote.
Durant has one year left on his four-year, $194 million contract. He is due for $54.7 million next season.
The 15-time NBA All-Star is their biggest trade chip that could bring back a significant haul to re-tool their roster around Booker.
Comments
Suns Eyeing Major Front Office Hire: Report