Suns' $7.7 bn owner Mat Ishbia drops seismic statement about embarrassing season amid Kevin Durant's uncertain future in Phoenix

The Phoenix Suns missed the playoffs for the first time since 2020, and just a season after their NBA Finals run in 2023-24. Owner Mat Ishbia - valued at $7.7 billion by Forbes - had confidence in the roster, but the Suns struggled to find their rhythm with Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal.

While addressing members of the press on Thursday - following the dismissal of coach Mike Budenholzer earlier in the week - Ishbia made it clear that change is coming after a "disappointing" season.

Amid reports that the team will work with Kevin Durant to find a suitable landing spot this offseason, it sounds like Ishbia is all in on ushering in a new era in Phoenix.

"We're gonna make some changes, and as the owner, my job is to make those changes and do things differently. Because what we just tried and did over the last two and a half years has not been as successful as we hoped."

In addition to the team parting ways with Mike Budenholzer and reports suggesting that a Kevin Durant trade is imminent, there has also been a lot of talk about Bradley Beal's future.

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Looking at Bradley Beal's future at Phoenix Suns ahead of big offseason that will see changes in The Valley

One of the biggest storylines - surrounding Phoenix this season - was Bradley Beal's name popping up in trade talks ahead of the NBA Trade Deadline.

The first reason Beal's name was inserted into trade talks was because of his fit with the team, which has proven to be questionable at best. As a result, Beal was moved to the bench, where the three-time All-Star - who earned $50.2 million this season - could lead the bench unit as the primary ballhandler.

Despite that, Bradley Beal averaged just 17.0 points per game, his fewest since the 2014-15 season.

At the same time, Jimmy Butler made it abundantly clear that he wanted to be traded to Phoenix; however, due to Beal's massive contract and his no-trade clause, a deal failed to materialize.

As a result, the big question now is whether the Suns can find a team interested in trading for Bradley Beal that the player is also interested in. Given that the odds of that happening seem slim, Ishbia and Phoenix will be left with two choices.

The first is buying out the remainder of Beal's contract, something that Rod Argent explained in an article for Bright Side of the Sun is more complicated than it sounds and would require him to walk away from an estimated $25-30 million per ESPN's Bobby Marks.

The second option is that the Suns could hold on to Bradley Beal; however, even if the team retains him for the 2025-26 season, Beal still has a player option that could pay him $57.1 million for the 2026-27 season.

While there's no clear answer on how Mat Ishbia plans to handle things, it's clear that change is coming to Phoenix.