The Phoenix Suns owner Mat Ishbia is not holding back on his team’s playoff future following a relatively quiet offseason.
In his interview with CNBC Sport, Ishbia claimed that the Suns will again make the NBA playoffs this season and will win a playoff series.
This is despite early season projections that the Suns will remain at the bottom end of the playoff race after finishing with the No. 8 seed last season.
“We’re going to be better than we were last year and that we’re gonna be a team that you look and be like, ‘I love this team,'” Ishbia said. “I believe that we have a team that can get there, as in, we’re going to make the playoffs, we’re going to win a first (round) playoff series.”
“We’re an ascending, young team getting better every day, and we have a superstar in Devin Booker who we’re going to continue to build around,” Ishbia added.
Mat Ishbia has a CLEAR vision for what fans should expect from the Phoenix Suns this year (via @CNBCSport)
Phoenix Suns Are Winless In The Playoffs For 3 Seasons
The Suns have endured postseason disappointment over their past two seasons, failing to win a single playoff game.
During the 2023-2024 NBA playoffs, as the sixth seed with a star-studded roster featuring Devin Booker and Kevin Durant, the Suns were swiftly swept in the first round by the Minnesota Timberwolves led by Anthony Edwards.
The Suns then missed the following playoffs.
They bounced back under head coach Jordan Ott during the 2025-2026 season to secure a 45-win campaign and navigate through the play-in tournament.
However, their return to the 2026 NBA Playoffs mirrored their previous exit, as the Suns were once again swept in the first round, this time by the top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder.
This season, the Suns will again be led by Devin Booker, Jalen Green, and Dillon Brooks, just like last season.
The Suns’ headline acquisition in the offseason was a major trade with the Charlotte Hornets to land forward Miles Bridges, which cost them an unprotected 2033 first-round draft pick alongside key floor-spacers Grayson Allen and Royce O’Neale.
Phoenix also signed free agent Luke Kennard to a two-year, $13 million contract. The front office also locked in their core depth by handing out multi-year extensions to retain center Mark Williams, Dillon Brooks, and backup guards Collin Gillespie and Jordan Goodwin.
Devin Booker Believes The Suns Are Better This Season
Devin Booker seemed to have agreed with the Suns owner’s belief, saying that the team is now better than they were last season.
“I believe so,” Booker said when asked if the team got better this season via Duane Rankin of AZ Central. “Just continuity…You just can’t teach that.”
Booker added that he is on the buildup once again after over a decade in the NBA.
“It feels like I’m on phase 3 or 4 honestly. I can barely even remember my rookie year, that situation and how I was thinking. Then the bubble year. Then post-Finals. That’s been tough. Back on the buildup again,” he said.
Booker averaged 26.1 points, 6.0 assists, and 3.9 rebounds per game for the Suns last season.
Much is expected from him as he tries to lead a team full of role players to the playoffs.
Suns Owner Delivers Stunning Claim On Team’s Playoff Future