The Phoenix Suns are losing the offseason before it even begins

The Suns have been in a rough spot, and this may just be the beginning.

Let’s start with this bold disclaimer.

I want to be wrong. I will give Brian Gregory and Jordan Ott a chance, and you should too. Mat Ishbia should keep receipts and rub them in people’s faces if he ends up nailing this offseason and the Suns successfully retool, led by this group. I truly, truly hope that is the case.

That said, this offseason is off to a disastrous start from an optics standpoint. For a team coming off what felt like a “rock bottom” season, it’s not exactly the tone we wanted to be set before the NBA Finals or NBA Draft even began.

I really don’t care if Devin Booker approved it.

• A) That feels like a prerequisite if you plan on keeping him around
• B) History suggests players don’t exactly have the best judgment with these types of decisions

Spartans fans and/or Michigan natives have to be thrilled, at least, so good for them. It feels like a frat being built for many.

This is not solely about Gregory or Ott, it’s about what led to their arrivals.

How did we get here?

Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Let’s start with the facts. Mat Ishbia took over a team that was semi-fresh off an NBA Finals run and trending downward despite having a young core and plenty of talent and draft capital at their disposal. He made some bold moves right off the bat.

He expedited a Kevin Durant trade that depleted their youth, depth, and asset pool. Do I blame him for that? No. When you have a chance to trade for Kevin Durant, you do it. Could they have been more patient and found a way to get him for less? Maybe?

Fast-forward. It didn’t go as expected, to say the least. The team disappointed, and panic moves ensued. Then, the team added Bradley Beal and his no-trade clause, followed by canning two consecutive coaches after banking on veteran minimum journeymen to fill in the gaps of an extremely flawed, unbalanced, and top-heavy roster.

Ishbia was supposedly being “hands-off” in his approach, which now is reportedly going to change after he emailed the Suns basketball operations team, taking accountability “for not doing enough to establish a culture and identity in Phoenix” and now intends to be “extremely active in the decisions and management,” per Gerald Bourguet.

(rolls eyes)

The Suns hired two Michigan State guys, and that label will stick whether it’s fair or not. The Gregory hire especially sent shockwaves of “WTF” around the association.

After Ishbia promised “change” during his end-of-the-season presser, he promoted an internal, inexperienced candidate to take over as GM and spearhead a coaching search that ultimately led to bringing in his old college pal?

Objectively speaking, that is not a normal process in this league. At all.

So here we are. Two inexperienced additions to a sinking ship that now has to deal Kevin Durant and doesn’t even have their own pick in the draft. And on top of that, Ishbia is dropping concerning quotes about increased involvement. It feels messy.

The Durant situation has gone worse than one could have envisioned, and they are likely pulling the plug there. All signs point towards Durant getting dealt in the coming weeks.

Every offseason feels like the most important offseason in Suns history at this point, but this time it really feels like it.

Whatever they do, they have to nail the Durant trade and find a way to properly build around Devin Booker before it’s too late. Skeptics are saying it may already be too late, and I would not blame you if you fell into that camp.

Either way, this probably isn’t the start we all hoped for. Let’s hope the optics end up not mattering and the madness works. As you can see, I’m not a fan of the direction things are going.

There’s only up from here, right? RIGHT?

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