PHOENIX — Phoenix Suns owner Mat Ishbia has been an active part of the organization since the very moments he officially took over the team just a few years ago.
Ishbia orchestrated two star trades for Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal before cutting bait on both after things clearly weren't working in the desert. An expected rebuild season last year turned into an underdog playoff run, and now many are curiously watching the Suns and what they'll do ahead of the 2026-27 season.
Ishbia, during an interview with CNBC, outlined his expectations perfectly clear:
“You should be thinking that we’re going to be better than we were last year,” he said. “As in, we’re going to make the playoffs. We’re going to win the first playoff series.”
The Suns won 45 games last season and emerged out of the NBA's play-in tournament before losing to the Oklahoma City Thunder in the first round.
Phoenix made a handful of roster changes this summer, most notably acquiring Miles Bridges and Koa Peat while seeing the likes of Royce O'Neale and Grayson Allen depart the franchise.
Ishbia's done a great job of elevating the fan experience by making games free to watch over antenna television alongside the introduction of a value menu during games. While those are to be appluaded, fans ultimately care about a winning product, and Ishbia is aware of that.
"We have a playoff-level team, got a superstar, great players on top of that, and we got young guys that are getting better," Ishbia said during the team's Media Day.
"Not too many teams in the NBA have that up-and-coming opportunity along with a team that's in the playoffs and keep getting better. So we feel really good about where we're at, but at the same time, winning is fragile and culture is fragile. We build on it year in, year out. We want to make sure that we continue to build upon it. We feel really good about where we're at right now."
Outside expectations aren't as high on Phoenix.
Many over/unders on the Suns' win total this season are lower than the 45 games they won in 2025-26 despite many in Phoenix belieiving the organization got better.
Time will tell if those visions are correct, though when it comes to the man signing the checks, it's clear the Suns are expected to take the next step this coming season.
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