Mat Ishbia conducted a press conference on Thursday to discuss the future of the Phoenix Suns as they search for a new head coach for the third consecutive offseason. The Suns fired Mike Budenholzer one year after firing Frank Vogel and two years after firing Monty Williams. The Suns missed the Play-In altogether in what was a disappointing season.
“We got to get the next hire right and we will,” Ishbia said at the team’s practice facility. “The team and the roster that was constructed by (Suns general manager James Jones and CEO Josh Bartelstein), scouts, the front office is much better than a 36-win roster.
“There’s a lot of reasons why Coach Bud is not here. I’m not going to get into all those reasons, but definitely believe we should’ve won a lot more games and been a lot more competitive during those games as well,” Ishbia said. “Wish him the best, but it was the wrong coach for our organization and for that team and at the end of the day, you can blame me for it because I’m the owner.”
The Suns will work Kevin Durant on a trade this offseason and plan to “pivot and reload” around Devin Booker.
“We’re going to look for someone that fits the vision of Phoenix Suns basketball,” Ishbia said. “Someone who is going to live out exactly what I’m talking about. Someone who is a little bit grimy, a little bit tough. Have a little bit of that in them.”
