LAS VEGAS – Following a year in which the Suns outperformed their preseason win total projection by 15 games, owner Mat Ishbia vowed that the 2025-26 season marked the first of a new era for the organization.
“This is the first year of Suns basketball the way we’re going to do it,” he said.
The organization has shifted its approach since last summer. After blowing up the core that got them to the 2021 NBA Finals yielded underwhelming returns, the Suns have shifted their focus to the future, compiling draft assets and young pieces to build around their star Devin Booker.
Because of the roster’s youth and depth, the 2026 NBA Summer League that’s underway in Las Vegas has proved to be a beneficial and competitive stage for those pieces to gain experience and set themselves apart.
In February of 2023, the Suns bet their young talent and roster flexibility on a chance at a title.
Just three days after officially acquiring the franchise along with their WNBA counterpart the Mercury on Feb. 6th, Ishbia dealt Mikal Bridges and Cam Johnson along with four unprotected first-round draft picks to the Brooklyn Nets for Kevin Durant.
Later that summer, Ishbia dug even deeper, dealing Chris Paul, Landry Shamet and an even larger haul of draft picks to the Wizards for Bradley Beal.
Durant and Booker managed just one playoff series victory as a duo prior to Beal’s arrival. Beal’s assistance proved futile with the team achieving just a first-round exit and failing to make the playoffs in the second year of his tenure.
Ishbia, who played college basketball as a walk-on at Michigan State, made Brian Gregory the full time general manager on May 1, 2025 and moved the Suns’ previous general manager, James Jones, to a senior advisor role. Gregory was an assistant for Tom Izzo and coached Ishbia at MSU.
Since taking over, Gregory has played a huge role in the transformation of the Suns’ front office approach and team culture according to Ishbia.
“He got multiple votes for executive of the year and I think he should’ve gotten more,” Ishbia said at his end-of-season availability. “He’s at every practice, he travels with the team, he talks to the players and he builds a relationship with everyone. He’s done an amazing job.”
The team has taken a more long-term developmental approach, investing in young assets and acquiring draft picks to build around Devin Booker in the post-Durant and Beal era.
Gregory dealt away Durant and acquired a haul of Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks and a slew of picks, which has helped to build a large chunk of the Suns’ current core.
It has paid off so far as the team navigated the play-in tournament to make the playoffs this past season after a one-year hiatus.
“I couldn’t be more proud of what the team accomplished this year,” Gregory said following the team’s first-round series against the Thunder. “At the same time, their drive and hunger for more is there. Our job is to continue to stoke that fire and continue to push them, show them, teach them, help them and put them in a position to become their very best.”
The organization has made culture and continuity a focus in the post-Durant era.
“I’m going to own the team for a long time,” Ishbia said. “Hopefully you enjoyed watching this team play because that’s how we’re going to play. Competitive grit, 48 minutes, competing all the time, hustle, diving on the court. That stuff wins and we’re going to keep getting better with that.”
The strong culture the Suns are building toward carried over into their 2026 summer league debut. The Suns trailed the Blazers 38-24 at halftime, before responding with a 57-point second half to steal a two-point win.
“That first half messed with the coaches. I don’t ever think I’ve seen a box score like that,” Suns summer league coach Chaisson Allen said postgame. “It’s common to come into this environment with all these people in the building and have some nerves. To get that out in the first half and then to respond the way they did, I’m proud of it.”
The Suns made the comeback due in large part to the services of Khaman Maluach, who’s going into his second year and primed to take a big leap. Maluach had 19 points and 11 boards and showed off his shooting potential, knocking down three shots from beyond the arc.
“He’s been working on his game all summer,” Allen said. “Him being confident shooting it helped us, and then protecting the rim and commanding that defense is what he does best.”
Maluach’s length and vocality on defense attracted lots of attention pre-draft last summer. The 7-foot-1 big man boasts a 7-foot, 6.75-inch wingspan, and blocked 1.3 shots per game in his lone season at Duke. He’s often the loudest guy on the court, communicating defensive instruction to his teammates.
“I take a lot of pride in that,” Maluach said. “I think it’s natural for me, it’s natural leadership. When I go out there I just be me and try to help my teammates out.”
Koa Peat, whom the Suns traded up to acquire at pick 30 in the 2026 NBA Draft, shined in the second half of his pro debut. The University of Arizona and Gilbert Perry alumnus showed off his versatility and feel for the game with an over-the-shoulder alley-oop to Maluach to open the game’s scoring. He finished with 17 points, six boards and four assists.
“He’s able to get downhill to begin with with his size and his ball handling ability,” Allen said. “And then he’s able to make reads with his IQ. He knows where guys are at and they trust him with the ball.”
Despite his own strong performance, Peat was quick to credit his teammates for theirs.
“Khaman man, he stepped up and played a huge game,” Peat said. “I feel like we got the jitters out and we just started hooping together and started playing off each other.”
Peat and Maluach are vying to become consistent contributors on a team that doesn’t lack depth, another feature of the Gregory era. After riding it to 45 wins a year ago the Suns have re-invested in some of that depth.
Center Mark Williams, 24, and guard Jordan Goodwin, 27, inked three year deals to remain with the team, while guard Collin Gillespie, 27, signed a four year contract.
“They are going to play a significant role as we continue to build on the stuff that we did last year,” Gregory said. “You’re talking about three guys that are team-first guys that compete at a high level and are driven to continue to improve as players. I believe all three have their best basketball in front of them.”
Williams, Goodwin, Gillespie along with Dillon Brooks were all in attendance for the Suns summer league opener. Ryan Dunn, Oso Ighodaro, Jamaree Bouyea and Haywood Highsmith were also on hand to see the young Suns.
A move that’s raised some speculation about the culture Ishbia intends to build in Phoenix, is the acquisition of Miles Bridges, who was also courtside for the Suns summer league opener.
The deal between the Hornets and the Suns to acquire Bridges was announced on June 28 and sends Grayson Allen and Royce O’Neale to Charlotte, both of whom played a key role in the Suns’ overachieving season.
“We also want to thank Grayson and Royce for the impact they made in Phoenix,” Gregory said in a release. “Both played important roles in helping us build our foundation, and we appreciate everything they brought to our team. We wish them and their families all the best.”
Bridges, like Gregory and Ishbia, has a Michigan State connection; he played two seasons for the Spartans under Tom Izzo.
Bridges comes to Phoenix with a troubling off-court history that has raised some concerns about his fit.
In June of 2022 in Los Angeles, Bridges was arrested under suspicion of domestic violence.
Three charges were brought against him to which he pleaded not guilty. Bridges eventually pleaded no contest to his felony domestic violence charge. The other two were dropped and Bridges was sentenced to three years of probation.
Bridges went un-signed through the entire 2022-23 season. He turned himself in in October of 2023 after allegedly violating a protective order.
He returned to the Hornets in 2023-24 after serving a 10-game suspension by the NBA.
Ishbia previously said after the season that the Suns wouldn’t make a move that could negatively impact the Suns locker room.
“I like the culture that we’ve built, I like the identity that we have,” he said. “We’re not going to do anything silly to mess that up.”
It was reported on July 10, 2026 by TMZ that Bridges’ children’s mother was accused of assaulting Bridges by throwing water on him in front of their children.
The deal for Bridges was finalized on July 13th.
“Miles has established himself as a highly productive player whose game continues to evolve,” Gregory said in a news release. “His elite athleticism, strength and versatility allow him to impact the game on both ends of the floor. He embodies the grit, competitiveness and work ethic that fit our identity, and we’re excited to welcome him to Phoenix.”
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