The Phoenix Suns were bounced from the NBA playoffs in embarrassing fashion for the second straight season after losing to the Denver Nuggets in Game 6 of the Western Conference Semifinals.
Now, big changes appear to be afoot — and coach Monty Williams was the first to go.
It was reported by The Athletic’s Shams Charania on Sunday that Williams and the Suns had parted ways in the wake of the team’s disappointing playoffs exit.
“Mat Ishbia and James Jones begin an aggressive offseason solely focused on a championship. And with two top-10 players in Kevin Durant and Devin Booker under contract long-term, an attractive market and driven, dynamic ownership, Suns become the destination coaching job opening,” Charania wrote.
NBA insider Marc Stein, meanwhile, reported the Suns are “expected to explore the feasability of trying to lure Tyronn Lue away from the Clippers”.
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Some people in NBA circles are also questioning whether future Hall-of-Fame point guard Chris Paul and former No. 1 overall pick Deandre Ayton will still be in Phoenix come next season, according to a report from ESPN’s Tim MacMahon.
“Some heads are going to roll for this one,” one NBA scout told MacMahon when the Suns were down 40 points to the Nuggets at halftime of Game 6.
Part of the Suns’ overhaul already started even before Williams was let go.
Bleacher Report’s Chris Haynes reported Saturday that the team let go of one front-office executive and two scouts.
The Suns traded for Chris Paul ahead of the 2020-21 season in hopes that he, Ayton and Devin Booker could bring the first-ever NBA championship to The Valley.
They’ve yet to make it out of the second round since losing to the Milwaukee Bucks in the 2021 NBA Finals.
The franchise was bought by Mortgage executive Mat Ishbia from embattled owner Robert Sarver for $4 billion earlier this year.
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Less than a day after the deal became official in February, Ishbia, who during his introductory press conference stated that an NBA title was his goal, traded Mikal Bridges, Cam Johnson, Jae Crowder, four first-round picks and a pick swap for superstar Kevin Durant.
At least this season, Durant’s presence wasn’t enough to win it all.
Paul, 38, has a team option for $30 million that becomes fully guaranteed in late June. Paul, who has dealt with injury bad luck throughout his career, suffered a groin injury during Game 2 vs. the Nuggets and didn’t return in the series.
Ayton — who signed a four-year, $133 million maximum contract extension with the Suns in July — has long had tension with the organisation.
The 24-year-old center, according to MacMahon, “would be excited about a fresh start with another franchise.”
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Meanwhile, Australian Jock Landale impressed in the playoffs for the Suns and is a restricted free agent this summer.
But Landale made it clear in his post-season exit interview with media that he hopes to stay put at Phoenix and will be waiting on “that call” to tell him he will be returning next season.
“100 per cent, I love it here,” Landale said.
“This is a group I’ve enjoyed playing with and getting to know, not just the guys on the team but the entire program, I think it’s an extremely professional club that does things at a high level and I want to continue to be a part of that and grow with it and one day win a championship with it.
“I think that has morphed itself into being a serious goal of mine. But there’s a lot of things that will happen between now and the start of the season and some of it is out of my control. This is a city and fanbase and organisation I’d love to be a part of for the rest of my career but this is the league we’re in nowadays and there’s a lot of unknowns involved, so I’ll just wait on that call and see what happens.”
— with New York Post