The Phoenix Suns don’t control any of their future first round picks until 2031 as they’ve used them on trades for Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal since he assumed ownership in 2023.
“I could care less who has those picks,” said Ishbia to ESPN’s Shams Charania. “Guess what, my job is to make those picks be the 25th, 27th, 29th picks every single year. We don’t want those picks back. We have Devin Booker, Kevin Durant and Brad Beal. We have no intention of having our 2027 pick being a lottery pick.”
After the Suns were eliminated in the first round of the 2024 NBA playoffs by the Minnesota Timberwolves, Ishbia parted ways with Frank Vogel and replaced him with Mike Budenholzer. The Suns started the season 8-1 until Durant’s calf injury and have since fallen to 9-6.
Last June, the Houston Rockets traded multiple picks originating from the Brooklyn Nets back to them in exchange for future picks from the Rockets. There has been speculation that if the Suns ever decided to trade away Booker or Durant, receiving their own future first round picks back in return, as Brooklyn did, would be enticing.