Getty Suns owner Mat Ishbia.
Despite having success in building a championship contender with the recent additions of All-Stars Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal, the Phoenix Suns remain a step behind the rest of the league in one area: They are the only NBA franchise that does not have a G League team.
However, during an appearance on the Arizona Sports’ “Burns & Gambo” show on July 17, the Suns’ new owner, Mat Ishbia, said that could be changing in the not-too-distant future.
“That won’t be something you will be talking about in a week or two,” the Suns’ owner said about the team being the only NBA franchise without a minor league affiliate. “We believe in developing young players. … In the very near future, hopefully, we’ll be able to announce a different strategy on that.”
The Suns became the only franchise without a G League affiliate when the Portland Trail Blazers announced in April 2023 that they’d have a minor league affiliate. The new team will start play next season and will also be based in Portland.
G League Has Paid Dividends for Other Franchises
Adding a G League could be a franchise-altering move. Currently, the Suns have opportunities to give younger guys a trial run in the NBA Summer League (which wrapped up on July 17), but the year-round developmental league has bred some of the NBA’s top talent.
The Los Angeles Lakers’ affiliate, the South Bay Lakers, helped them discover Austin Reaves and Alex Caruso, who both played pivotal roles with the franchise. Caruso was a key rotation player during the Lakers championship run in 2020, and Reaves played so well during the 2023 playoffs that the Lakers signed him to a four-year $53 million extension in July.
The G League has also given some of the country’s top high school players the opportunity to forgo playing in college and become professionals more quickly.
The league “signals an ascension,” according to a 2020 Axios story. “More talent means more eyeballs means more money, and even when the draft resumes accepting players straight out of high school, the next tier of prospects can take advantage of the pathway program in their stead.”
Houston Rockets star Jalen Green and Blazers guard Scoot Henderson both played for the G League Ignite and were lottery picks the following season.
Ishbia Doesn’t Predict Any Other Moves This Offseason
The Suns have not been shy about raising the stakes in their effort to curate a title contender. After making the trade to land Chris Paul in 2021, general manager James Jones made the blockbuster deal to land All-Star Kevin Durant at the trade deadline in February 2023. After the Denver Nuggets eliminated Phoenix in the second round of the playoffs, Jones made another blockbuster trade to land Washington Wizards star Bradley Beal, although it meant parting ways with Paul, who would be traded to the Golden State Warriors days later.
Ishbia has shown a pattern of pushing all his chips to the center of the table. No amount of star power is too much for the Suns. And there are still a few disgruntled stars on the market looking to change locations — most notably James Harden and Damian Lillard.
But Ishbia told “Burns & Gambo” he was happy with the Suns’ roster as the team prepares to open training camp in late September.
“I think our roster is phenomenal,” he added. “I think our coaching staff is phenomenal, I love our players. I think we have a championship-caliber team as it stands right now. With that being said, I don’t forecast or predict any other moves. But with that being said, that could change tomorrow, a certain phone call comes in, and someone checks (in).”
The Suns owner also said he believed the roster had “exceeded” expectations.
“We love our team right now,” he said. “I think the team that we have out there well exceeds even what we hoped after the season ended.“
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Suns Owner Mat Ishbia Teases Franchise-Altering Move