When the Suns turned to Brian Gregory in May 2025, plenty around the NBA did a double take. A longtime college coach stepping into the general manager chair wasn’t the conventional play, and Gregory knew the reaction to his hiring wasn’t exactly warm.
Now, after helping steer Phoenix through a busy offseason and into a 45-37 season that ended with a first-round sweep by the top-seeded Thunder, Gregory is leaning into the job in his own way: focus on basketball, trust the people around him, and don’t pretend to know everything.
“I mean, obviously it was a challenge, but at the same time, I felt we had a lot of good pieces in place,” Gregory said. “For me, it’s about basketball and relationships.
I think at times you can maybe overcomplicate things. There’s a lot of stuff I still don’t (know), and I’m okay with that.
That’s one of the best things. I’m okay with that.
I have people around me that know it.
“(Owner) Mat (Ishbia) wanted me to concentrate on our players, our coaches and those relationships and getting everybody moving in the same direction, and that was kind of the call to order. And although it was maybe not seen as maybe the best move at the time, I had confidence. Mat had the courage to do it.
“You can work your way through things. I think that’s what we’ve done. I think our work ethic, and not just mine, but everybody around me, everybody in the 5G (practice facility) but then hiring the right coach really helps really helps.”
That coach, Jordan Ott, was one of the biggest pieces of the reshaping that followed Phoenix’s 36-46 season in 2024/25. Gregory said it didn’t take long to know Ott was the right fit.
“One of the best things about Jordan Ott is he’s never satisfied, meaning he never satisfied with himself. Wants to get better.
Always trying to figure out ways,” Gregory said. “He’s understood that for our players to be able to merge the idea of becoming the best player you can be while playing in a team setting.
Very few guys have been able to do that and he’s one of them.”
Gregory also made it clear where he stands on Devin Booker, who has faced outside criticism tied to the size of his contract. Gregory pushed back on that noise, saying he sees the day-to-day impact Booker has inside the organization.
“I’m privy to some stuff that fans and/or media aren’t privy to. I see what he does every single day.
I see what he does for every player on our team, for every coach,” Gregory told Rankin. “He understands that there’ll be criticism that comes his way.
He is as quality of superstar as anybody will ever be around, and I think sometimes what happens is you just start taking things for granted. You think we’re entitled to that.
What he does on a daily basis and what he goes through from a pure basketball perspective. Watching it game-by-game and for him to keep coming back.
I’m not sure anybody truly has a great evaluation of what that looks like.”
The offseason overhaul also brought in Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks and the 10th overall pick in 2025, Khaman Maluach, in the trade that sent Kevin Durant to Houston. Gregory didn’t get into contract talks with Miles Bridges or Green, both of whom are eligible for extensions, but he left little doubt that Bridges matters to the Suns’ plans.
“We traded for Miles because we think it’s going to be an impactful player for us. OK?
You can read into that,” Gregory said. “Jalen Green, he was part of a big trade as well.
Last year, because of injury, he didn’t get to show everything. I feel all the confidence in the world that he’s going to be able to show that this year.
We don’t talk about players’ contracts, but at the same time, they are highly valued players in our organization.”
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As the Suns get ready for their first preseason game of the 2026-27 season, there is a different kind of energy around the group than the one that followed them into last year. The win projections are lower this time, but the tone from the organization has been notably upbeat, with general manager Brian Gregory stressing the importance of daily work, team connection and the habits that can carry a group through the grind of a season.
Mat Ishbia has leaned into that optimism, too, saying he believes Phoenix is close to moving deeper into the playoffs and back into the kind of high-level contention the franchise is chasing. For a team trying to turn internal belief into a stronger finish, the real test now is whether that confidence shows up once the preseason turns into games that count. [Read more 🡒]
Ryan Dunn Just Got Dragged Into A Suns Debate Fans Feel Strongly
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Now he has been pulled into a bigger public debate after NBA on Prime rolled out a new commercial for its upcoming coverage. The promo puts Dunn in a defensive role against elite scorers, a reminder of why the Suns still see reason to keep betting on him, but also of how sharply fans tend to split when a players upside is tied to one skill and his future depends on another. [Read more 🡒]
Devin Bookers New Suns-Themed Sneaker Has A Discount Fans Will Notice
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The release has already created some buzz because the Friends & Family pair disappeared quickly, but the version most fans can actually buy is the general-release Sedona colorway. For Suns supporters and sneaker collectors alike, it is the kind of crossover release that ties Booker back to the state in a very visible way, with one price point now standing out for anyone looking to grab a pair before the next wave of attention hits. [Read more 🡒]