{"id":137169,"date":"2025-04-30T23:28:37","date_gmt":"2025-05-01T03:28:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/?p=137169"},"modified":"2025-04-30T23:28:37","modified_gmt":"2025-05-01T03:28:37","slug":"suns-exploring-every-option-to-resolve-leadership-situation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2025\/04\/30\/suns-exploring-every-option-to-resolve-leadership-situation\/","title":{"rendered":"Suns Exploring Every Option To Resolve Leadership Situation"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Phoenix Suns<\/a> are expected to finalize their leadership decisions early next week. According<\/a> to Arizona Sports’<\/em>\u00a0John Gambadoro, some moves might happen before the weekend. The search for a new head coach will follow soon after, as the team recently fired<\/a> Mike Budenholzer.<\/p>\n

Suns Exploring Every Option To Resolve Leadership Situation<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Suns leadership roles are now in flux, and owner Mat Ishbia seems ready to act quickly. One name has already surfaced. NBA insider Marc Stein reported<\/a> that Brian Gregory, currently vice president of player programming, could earn a promotion.<\/p>\n

Brian Gregory Emerges As a Contender<\/h3>\n

Stein described Gregory as a serious internal candidate. \u201cI\u2019m told an emerging option in Phoenix, rather than a splashy hire outside hire, is promoting VP of player programming Brian Gregory to a more prominent front office role,\u201d Stein posted.<\/p>\n

Gregory already plays a major role in the Suns\u2019 draft strategy<\/a>. He also enjoys a strong relationship with Ishbia. The two go back decades\u2014Gregory coached Ishbia at Michigan State between 1999 and 2003 while serving as an assistant under Tom Izzo.<\/p>\n

The Suns hired Gregory last offseason after he completed a six-year stint as South Florida\u2019s head coach. His deep ties to basketball and Phoenix’s top brass give him an edge. It\u2019s possible his role will expand as the team reshapes its leadership structure.<\/p>\n

James Jones\u2019 Future Is Unclear as Suns Reshuffle Leadership<\/h3>\n

James Jones, current president of basketball operations and general manager, may be on his way out. His contract reportedly expires in June. So far, the team has not confirmed whether he will return.<\/p>\n

In the meantime, reports suggest that Jones is leading the coaching search. NBA insiders Jake Fischer and Marc Stein have both said<\/a> he\u2019s acting as \u201cpoint guard\u201d in the process.<\/p>\n

Still, the team\u2019s failure to reach even the play-in tournament this past season puts every executive under the microscope. The Suns finished 36-46\u2014a record Ishbia called unacceptable.<\/p>\n

Ishbia Wants Results, Not Excuses<\/h3>\n

Ishbia made his stance clear during his end-of-season press conference. \u201cIt wasn\u2019t fun to watch our team lose and not compete at the level that we all expected,\u201d he said<\/a>.<\/p>\n

He emphasized that his role as owner is to make necessary changes. \u201cWhat we just tried and did over the last 2.5 years has not been as successful as we hoped,\u201d he added<\/a>.<\/p>\n