The NBA can look completely different after a trade deadline. Those teams who weren't seen as legit contenders can change their status by making the right moves, and vice versa. If not, look at the Suns.
Despite being a respected team around the league, it's safe to say no one saw Phoenix as a legit contender until it landed Kevin Durant. Now that they have the 13x All-Star on board, things are different.
His addition, which boosts an already star-studded roster headlined by Chris Paul, Devin Booker, and Deandre Ayton, might be exactly what the team needed to take a step forward. New team owner Mat Ishbia, however, has bigger plans than 'just' winning this year.
Suns owner Mat Ishbia wants to build dynasty in Phoenix
"This was the right decision for the team and for the business and for the players. It wasn't a tough decision. We really didn't want to give up some of the guys, because we love those guys. They were winners and we didn't want to give them up. But at the end of the day the right decision was, what do we do to maximize our team for today and for the next three to four years? This is going to be what the Phoenix Suns are about," Ishbia told Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated.
"The vision is not, ‘Let's win a championship.’ Of course we'd like to. But the vision is, ‘We're going to be the leading franchise in the NBA. How do we do that?’ We have to have a culture of winning. We have got to make sure the fans love it. We're doing great in the community. We've got to do great there. This is not about just winning this year. “We're going to win again in '27 and '29 and '31. We're going to try to win all the time. I'm not into the planning to win phase, I'm in the let's win today phase and let's win tomorrow phase. And you can't always do it, but you're going to try."
Ishbia's words will be music to the Suns' fans' ears. It's also a message to everyone at the team, that the plan is to win for an extended period of time. Of course, it would be great to start by winning the first championship for the franchise this year. But even if that happens, Ishbia won't be satisfied yet.
