Latest news with #BrianGregory
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
New Kevin Durant Trade Favorite Emerges as Suns' Decision Lingers
New Kevin Durant Trade Favorite Emerges as Suns' Decision Lingers originally appeared on Athlon Sports. The Phoenix Suns have already been busy this offseason after a disaster of a regular season. They had likely hoped to improve upon last year's finish when they were swept out of the playoffs by the Minnesota Timberwolves. Advertisement Instead, the Suns went in the other direction, finishing 36-46 and the No. 11 seed in the Western Conference, missing out on a spot in the NBA Play-In Tournament. Phoenix Suns forward Kevin Durant dunks against Philadelphia 76ers forward Paul George during a game at Wells Fargo Center. Bill Streicher-Imagn Images New Kevin Durant trade favorite emerges The Suns wasted little time firing Mike Budenholzer following the conclusion of the season. They've also installed Brian Gregory as the new general manager and moved James Jones into a senior advisory position. With the general manager position taken care of, the Suns have started their search for a new head coach, as well as exploring avenues for a possible Kevin Durant trade. According to the odds at DraftKings Sportsbook, there's a new favorite to land Durant if the Suns decide to trade the 15-time All-Star, a team the Suns should be familiar with: the Minnesota Timberwolves. Following the NBA Playoffs last year, Durant and Anthony Edwards played together on Team USA and developed a friendship. Edwards grew up idolizing Durant and looks at him as a big brother and mentor. Advertisement It remains to be seen what a trade between the two would look like, particularly from Minnesota's side. They would have to come close toDurant's salary of $54.7 million he's scheduled to make next season. The Suns are desperate to recoup some of the future assets they sent out for Durant and Bradley Beal. They'll likely look to honor Durant's wishes, but only to a point, considering he doesn't have a no-trade clause, so the decision will ultimately be up to the Suns. The Rockets are close behind at +300 and could send Phoenix better promising young players like Jalen Green or Reed Sheppard in addition to a slew of draft picks. This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 2, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Michigan State ties with Suns owner, GM fuels Cavs' Jordan Ott as coach candidate
Phoenix Suns team owner Mat Ishbia's decision to elevate Brian Gregory from vice president of player programming to general manager is a major part of aligning ownership and the front office with the franchise's vision. Ishbia and Gregory are Michigan State guys and part of the university's 2000 men's national championship team. Ishbia was a walk-on while Gregory worked as an assistant under Tom Izzo. Advertisement Now, the Suns are looking for a head coach after missing the playoffs with a 36-46 record and firing Mike Budenholzer after one season. Enter Jordan Ott. The Cleveland Cavaliers assistant is a candidate for the vacancy along with fellow Cavs assistant Johnnie Bryant, Oklahoma City Thunder assistant Dave Bliss, Minnesota Timberwolves assistant Micah Nori, Brooklyn Nets assistant Steve Hetzel, Dallas Mavericks assistant Sean Sweeney, Miami Heat assistant Chris Quinn, New Orleans Pelicans assistant James Borrego and Suns assistant David Fizdale, league sources confirmed to The Arizona Republic this week. This will be the fourth NBA head coach in four seasons for the Suns as Monty Williams, Frank Vogel and Budenholzer were fired after each of the last three seasons with Ishbia as team owner. Ishbia bought the Suns and WNBA's Phoenix Mercury for a record $4 billion during the 2022-23 season. Advertisement When asked about Ott, league sources see him as a leading candidate in large part due to his ties to Michigan State. Ott was the Spartans' video coordinator for five years as he earned a master's degree in athletic administration from the university. However, Ott has worked for four NBA teams as an assistant since his time at Michigan State and is viewed throughout the league as someone who is ready to be a head coach. League sources describe Ott as being a grinder who studies the game and has very sound offensive and defensive strategies. He's strong in player development and film session, is organized and a teacher of the game. Michigan State coach Tom Izzo lifts the NCAA championship trophy after the win over Florida, April 3, 2000 at the RCA Dome in Indianapolis. At left, Phoenix Suns owner Mat Ishbia, then a walk-on point guard for the Spartans, raises his right arm in triumph. Ishbia has a stated agenda of recreating the culture of that team in the Suns organization. Ott's duties at Michigan State included helping the coaching staff break down game and practice film and scouting opponents. He left the Spartans in 2013 for a video coordinator position with the Atlanta Hawks, where he worked under Budenholzer for three seasons from 2013 to 2016. Advertisement Ott has been with three more NBA teams since – Brooklyn Nets (2016-22), Los Angeles Lakers (2022-24) and Cavs to reunite with Kenny Atkinson, who won NBA Coach of the Year this season as Cleveland posted the best record in the Eastern Conference at 64-18. Atkinson was previously a head coach in Brooklyn. Ott has worked under Steve Nash, Jacque Vaughn, and Darvin Ham as well. The fifth-seeded Indiana Pacers eliminated the Cavs in the second round of the 2025 playoffs in five games. Summer League head coach Jordan Ott of the Cleveland Cavaliers looks on against the Los Angeles Lakers in the first half of a 2024 NBA Summer League game at the Thomas & Mack Center on July 18, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Ott also has ties to Suns superstar Kevin Durant, who was in Brooklyn from 2019 to right before the 2023 trade deadline when the Suns acquired him in a blockbuster deal. Durant's future with the Suns is uncertain as the team entertained trade talks for him before the 2025 trade deadline, but he and Ott have worked together. Advertisement The Cavs hired Ott and Bryant heading into the 2024-25 season. The two assistants were instrumental in Cleveland having a special season that factored in becoming candidates for head coach in Phoenix. A league source described Bryant as a developer of talent and a strong communicator who can 'build trust' with star players. 'Hold players accountable': Mavericks assistant Sean Sweeney on Suns' coach radar Bryant spent four seasons as associate head coach with the New York Knicks (2020-24) after working eight seasons for the Utah Jazz. He started in player development (2012-14) in Utah and then spent his final six seasons there as an assistant (2014-20). Advertisement The 39-year-old Bryant also ran the Bryant Sports Academy for three years (2009-2012) in helping develop the skills of NBA players and European players. Having worked for Tom Thibodeau in New York as well as Tyrone Corbin and Ryan Saunders in Utah and now Atkinson in Cleveland, those experiences have helped Bryant become a well-rounded coach who can adapt, league sources say. Have opinions about the current state of the Suns? Reach Suns Insider Duane Rankin at dmrankin@ or contact him at 480-810-5518. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter, at @DuaneRankin. Support local journalism: Subscribe to today. This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Suns coaching candidate has Michigan State ties with team owner, GM
Associated Press
07-05-2025
- Business
- Associated Press
Rookie GM Brian Gregory says he's ready to rebuild the Suns, touts closeness with owner Mat Ishbia
PHOENIX (AP) — Brian Gregory's basketball resume has plenty of gravitas thanks to nearly two decades as an NCAA Division I head coach at Dayton, Georgia Tech and South Florida. That's not why he's the new general manager of the Phoenix Suns. Instead, it is Gregory's 25-year relationship with Suns owner Mat Ishbia that is the major reason he's making the rare transition from college sidelines to an NBA front office. Some may see that as a negative, but Gregory believes his closeness with Ishbia will be an asset as the Suns embark on a difficult rebuild following one of the most disappointing seasons in franchise history. 'I'm never going to shy away from the fact that one of the reasons I'm sitting up here is because of my relationship with Mat Ishbia,' Gregory said Tuesday. 'But that relationship is founded on our alignment. Shared values. Shared work ethic. We've been through a lot together. 'He trusts me and I trust him.' The 58-year-old Gregory was elevated to the general manager's role with the Suns last week, with former GM James Jones moving into the role of a senior advisor. Oronde Taliaferro was promoted to assistant general manager and Paul Rivers will add basketball operations responsibilities to his role as chief innovation officer. Gregory was an assistant coach at Michigan State from 1999 to 2003, which was the same time that Ishbia was a walk-on guard for the Spartans. Michigan State enjoyed plenty of success during those years, including a national championship in 2000. Now the Ishbia-Gregory pairing will try to recreate that magic for a franchise that has never won a title in its 57-year history despite making the Finals in 1976, 1993 and 2021. The Suns finished last season with a disappointing 36-46 record despite the league's most expensive roster that included the All-Star trio of Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal. Booker — a four-time All-Star and franchise icon who has spent all of his 10 seasons in the desert — is the only player who seems certain to return. Gregory's first task this offseason will be hiring a new head coach to replace Mike Budenholzer, who was fired after just one season. It will be the Suns' fourth head coach in four years. After that, it will be time to focus on an expensive but flawed roster. Ishbia said last month he wants future Suns teams to feature 'some grit, some determination, some work ethic, some grind, some joy. We just haven't had that.' Gregory's most valuable trade chip this summer appears to be Durant, who was still one of the NBA's elite scorers last season at 36. The 15-time All-Star averaged 26.6 points on 53% shooting, shows few signs of slowing and will certainly have multiple suitors during the offseason. Beal — a three-time All-Star — could be much more difficult to unload. The oft-injured guard is due more than $50 million next season, but his production hasn't come close to matching the price tag. Gregory said he likes both players, but wasn't ready to comment on their future in the desert. 'I have a very good relationship with both those guys,' Gregory said. 'Kevin gave me a nice hug in the weight room the other night when the news came across Twitter. Had a great dinner with Brad Beal last Thursday and we talked a little about summer plans and different things like that. 'My main focus, to be honest with you, is finding the right head coach for those guys.' Gregory joined the Suns in 2023 and served in several roles, most recently as the vice president of player programming. He had major input in the Suns selecting Ryan Dunn and Oso Ighodaro in last year's draft and both had promising moments during their rookie seasons. Dunn and Ighodaro featured on-court personalities that seem closer to Ishbia's gritty ideals, with the young duo featuring an energy and spirit that was conspicuously lacking from much of the rest of the roster. ___ AP NBA:
Yahoo
06-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Suns reportedly promote Brian Gregory to general manager as crucial offseason decision on Kevin Durant looms
The Phoenix Suns are relying on a familiar name to push them forward. The team will reportedly promote vice president Brian Gregory into the general manager role, according to ESPN's Shams Charania. Gregory joined the Suns in June 2024 after multiple years as a college basketball coach. He coached South Florida for six seasons, putting up a 79-107 record before being fired after the 2022-23 season. Prior to that, Gregory spent five seasons at Georgia Tech and seven years at Dayton. James Jones, who served as the Suns' general manager since the 2018-19 NBA season, will move into an advisory role with the franchise following Gregory's promotion. The team went 298-257 with Jones at the helm. The move comes as the Suns are set to embark on a crucial offseason. After a disappointing campaign in which the team went 36-46, the Suns are expected to make potentially big changes this summer. Superstar Kevin Durant is on the trade block, with the team reportedly working with Durant and his agent to find the forward a new home. The Suns attempted to trade Durant back to the Warriors at the trade deadline, but Durant did not want to relocate in the middle of the season. Durant does not have a no-trade clause in his contract. The team will reportedly also look to trade Bradley Beal, though that could prove difficult due to his contract. Beal will make over $53 million in each of the next two seasons. He does have a no-trade clause. While a Durant trade is the most pressing issue facing the Suns this offseason, Gregory will also be tasked with hiring a new head coach after the team fired Mike Budenholzer after one season on the job. Suns owner Mat Ishbia hasn't been patient with the team's coaches in recent years. Before Budenholzer's exit, the team fired Frank Vogel after one season on the job. Monty Williams was fired after the 2023 season. Whoever Gregory hires will be the fourth Suns head coach in four seasons. Following Budenholzer's firing, Ishbia issued a harsh statement, claiming Budenholzer was "the wrong coach for our organization." It will be up to Gregory to make sure the team's new coach can avoid the same fate. Ishbia and Gregory have some history together. Prior to coaching at Dayton, Gregory had two separate stints as an assistant coach at Michigan State, Ishbia's alma mater. One of those stints came when Ishbia was a walk-on with the team during the 2001-02 season.
Yahoo
02-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Former UD head coach named general manager of NBA team
A former University of Dayton men's basketball coach has been promoted to general manager of an NBA team. [DOWNLOAD: Free WHIO-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] The Phoenix Suns announced that former UD head coach Brian Gregory has been named the team's new general manager, according to a team spokesperson. Advertisement He joined the Suns front office in 2023 and recently served as the vice president of player programming. TRENDING STORIES: 'Brian has been a valuable member of our front office, playing an integral role in drafting and developing our young players,' said Mat Ishbia, owner of the Phoenix Suns. 'I am excited for him to step into the role of general manager. He is a brilliant basketball mind, and he will transform and elevate our team.' Gregory served as head coach at Dayton from 2003-2011 after being an assistant to Tom Izzo at Michigan State from 1999-2003. Ishbia played at Michigan State from 1999-2002 Advertisement He led the Flyers to two NCAA Tournament appearances (2004, 2009), including a 68-60 win over West Virginia in the First Round of the 2009 NCAA Tournament on March 20, 2009. It was the program's first NCAA Tournament win since 1990. UD won the 2010 NIT championship. Gregory was the men's basketball head coach at Georgia Tech (2011-16) and South Florida (2017-23). Phoenix went 36-46 this past season and missed the playoffs. They fired coach Mike Budenholzer after one season. [SIGN UP: WHIO-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
