Bickley: Phoenix Suns’ new owner Mat Ishbia shows he’s worthy of trust

Only two players remain from the team that made the Valley swoon; a team that was two wins shy of an NBA championship just two years ago this summer.

If change is good, the Suns are golden.

The renovations in Phoenix are striking. The new owner, Mat Ishbia, is like a young Jerry Colangelo, only richer. Both know how to make a splash.

To market his first NBA team, Colangelo once put a bull in the back of a flatbed truck, driving the animal through the streets of downtown Chicago to generate publicity.

Ishbia hijacked the Super Bowl by acquiring Kevin Durant, a pricey maneuver that was supposed to severely limit their flexibility in the future. Yet their steal of Bradley Beal pushed the envelope further, transforming our NBA franchise into a legitimate super team. And after a flurry of weekend activity, the Suns seem to have assembled a solid bench, a quality of depth and intrigue that few deemed possible.

The vision is bold and daring. Devin Booker and Deandre Ayton are the only players left from the previous era, and both were the handiwork of former general manager Ryan McDonough. Which means the current general manager, James Jones, has undone every move he made from a blueprint that nearly worked to perfection.

Maybe Jones has been liberated by the new boss, freed from the frugal handcuffs laid down by the previous regime. Or maybe there’s a lot of Isiah Thomas in the mix, as Chris Paul has repeatedly suggested.

Either way, the vision is working, and the NBA is on red alert. Ishbia is showing no deference to his billionaire peers, all but one of whom voted him into their special club. He is showing no regard for profit and no signs of sticker shock from the record price he paid to acquire the team from Robert Sarver. He seems to be greenlighting every idea that makes his franchise better, regardless of cost. And someone seems to be presenting him with a lot of good ideas.

The biggest impact is on basketball fans in the Valley. After the most recent playoff exit, some misguided fans experienced buyer’s remorse over the acquisition of Durant, lamenting the blockbuster trade that sent Mikal Bridges and Cam Johnson to the Brooklyn Nets.

But the Suns quickly flushed the playoff disappointment. They have posted a spectacular offseason given their limitations. In less than a year, Ishbia has delivered two genuine stars, a new coaching staff, a new home on free television, along with the 2024 WNBA All-Star Game.

The new guy is putting a lot of green into the purple and orange. And these days, no one seems to be lamenting anything or anyone.

Reach Dan Bickley at dbickley@arizonasports.com. Listen to Bickley & Marotta weekdays from 6 – 10 a.m. on Arizona Sports.

Follow @danbickley