Dallas Mavericks minority owner Mark Cuban says he warned Phoenix Suns owner Mat Ishbia about making drastic changes at the start of his tenure. After a lawsuit was reportedly filed against Ishbia by the Suns' minority owners due to various violations, Cuban shared a conversation he had with Phoenix's majority owner, warning him about the new beginnings.
Cuban says he talked to Ishbia about how running an NBA organization is vastly different than the businesses he ran prior to joining the Mavericks, he said, per ESPN's Road Trippin.
“I’ve actually talked to Mat about that stuff. When he first came in at the All-Star game, and we just started chit-chatting about it all. What it’s like coming from running a business, coming into the NBA, thinking I’m successful,” Cuban said. “You know the things I did at my company are going to work. It worked for me then; it’s going to work for me here. And they’re just a bunch of people who don’t know the other owners.”
Mark Cuban says coming in hot as the Suns' new owner with championship aspirations was the wrong approach for Ishbia.
“Mat came in guns blazing and you know it didn’t work,” Cuban added. “In our conversation I was like, I respect the effort, respect the goal, but I’m just telling you its a zero sum game when you go all-in like that. Either it really works or your upset for a long time.”
Kendrick Perkins argues Suns are NBA's most embarassing team
ESPN's Kendrick Perkins recently addressed the Suns' disappointing seasons over the past few years. As a former NBA center, Perkins says the Suns' shortcomings are embarassing.
For Perkins, the organization should feel like the most embarassing NBA team, he said, per ESPN's Road Trippin.
“One could argue, or one could say that the Phoenix Suns have been the biggest embarrassment in the NBA over the last three to four years,” Perkins said. “Where they were, what four or five years ago. NBA Finals, culture, Monty Williams, CP3, just got dominated by Giannis.”
In an effort to get the Suns back to the Finals after their last apperance in 2021, Suns owner Mat Ishbia compiled the NBA's most recent superteam by trading for Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal to place alongside All-Star Devin Booker in 2023. However, a deep playoff run never materialized as injuries hampered the star trio from developing chemistry, and the Suns' roster lacked also lacked depth outside of its three best players.
