Suns owner Mat Ishbia is believed to have had a “longstanding” interest in trying to convince former Warriors president of basketball operations Bob Myers, now an ESPN broadcaster, to return to the NBA to lead Phoenix’s front office, according to Marc Stein and Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Substack link).
Ishbia is looking to add new voices to his front office contingent before hiring his fourth head coach in four years, according to Stein and Fischer, who say it’s is unclear whether longtime head of basketball operations James Jones would be replaced in that scenario or would work alongside a new executive.
If Myers were to join the Suns, he’d presumably be the one calling the shots over Jones, but many sources around the league are skeptical Myers would be amenable to joining the team, Stein and Fischer say, even though Phoenix is relatively close to Myers’ L.A. home. While that could work in the club’s favor, Myers is said to be enjoying his TV job and his consulting work with the NFL’s Washington Commanders, while the Suns are currently deep in the league’s second luxury tax apron without a lot of short-term future draft equity.
According to Stein and Fischer, Ishbia is expected to have a “significant” voice in hiring a new head coach, which suggests that Jones and/or another key front office newcomer might not have as much say in the coaching decision as a head of basketball operations typically would. The Suns are expected to seek out a younger, greener head coach than their last three, with multiple former players likely to be considered, the duo reports.
Here are more NBA rumors:
- After firing former general manager Landry Fields earlier this week, the Hawks are looking to pair newly elevated GM Onsi Saleh with their eventual Fields replacement to lead the front office, according to Stein and Fischer. Sources inform the duo that team owner Tony Ressler is open to forking over top dollar for a seasoned front office pro. Myers, who was Saleh’s boss with the Warriors, is a possible target for Atlanta.
- While current Timberwolves president Tim Connelly will likely be linked to front office openings this offseason, there’s a league-wide expectation that the Wolves will sign him to a new deal now that Marc Lore and Alex Rodriguez are poised to take over control of the team from Glen Taylor, Stein and Fischer say.
- Mavericks owner Patrick Dumont is reportedly no longer interested in giving general manager Nico Harrison carte blanche when it comes to basketball decisions, ESPN’s Tim MacMahon told former colleague Bomani Jones on the latter’s podcast The Right Time With Bomani Jones (YouTube video link). MacMahon says Dumont is believed to be seeking an experienced front office executive to work alongside Harrison going forward, following his controversial decision to trade five-time All-NBA First Team guard Luka Doncic to Los Angeles in exchange for a package led by injury-prone big man Anthony Davis. “Now, the ‘In Nico We Trust’ era has ended,” McMahon said. “He wants him to bring in an experienced exec. I think he’s realized he’s got to have some checks and balances that weren’t in place… I think this has been a very educational experience for Patrick Dumont in his first full year as an NBA governor. Also, the realization [that] in this world [the] management’s not the stars. The stars are the guys on the floor.”
Yes phoenix. Hire a coach with less experience. That’s the ticket lol
Jerry West isn’t around to hold Bob Myers’s hand. This would not be a good hire.
Yes, Bob Myers is a good communicator and yes, Bob Myers understands the salary cap and yes, Bob Myers has contacts on both sides of the fence after being a GM for years and a players agent for many years.
But Bob Myers rode the coattails of Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green, all of whom Were either Nelly‘s expertise or Jerry West’s.
The best thing on Bob Myers’s resume is getting guys like David West Pachulia JaVale McGee Maurice Spieghts, guys like that, to sign for the minimum and go ring hunting.
He sold them on a year or two at the end of their career or a year or two mid career to build up their value and get a bigger contract elsewhere.
That’s what Bob Myers did well.
True, Myers best demonstrated skill to date has been good timing. Although PHX might be another opportunity to employ that skill. It sounds like Ishiba just wants the cover of adding some voices with (apparent) gravitas to the FO, but doesn’t really plan on listening much to any of them. Myers can follow the lead of Vogel and Bud, take a 5 year deal and work for 1 (he can be back in ESPN studio before the end of the year).
Another area where Bob Myers is weak is the draft.
He is a poor talent evaluator as demonstrated by his 10 years of crap drafting. They even paid extra money to get second round pics like Allen Smailagić Jordan Bell et all.
But no worries. Phoenix doesn’t have any draft picks so Myers can’t screw those up !!
Yep, GM of a team with no trade flexibility, no draft picks and an owner who plans to hire the head coach on his own. Sounds like it plays to Myers’ strengths.
Yup, lol !!
Bob Myers literally blew every single draft for like 10 years. GSW could have basically weathered the 2020-2021 injuries and made every finals from 2015-2024 had Bob been good at his job. All Bob had to do was draft like 3 decent-to-star-level rotation pieces out of 20 or so picks from 2015-2023, and could not do it. Stay away from Bob, Phoenix. Leave him in the commentary booth where he belongs.
I’m sure someone will correct me if I’m wrong but didn’t he trade for Iguodala? Draft Looney? I’m pretty sure he also was in charge of the Draymond/ harrison barnes/ ezeli draft? Didn’t he sign Durant as a free agent? When Durant wanted to leave he turned that into Dangelo Russell then Wiggins? Drafting Poole helped win a championship. Kent Bazemore was a good signing for someone who was not originally wanted by anyone else. GP2 has been very good for someone that no other team wanted! Otto Porter Jr helped win a championship. Gui Santos? I may have missed some too. Remember how much Oracle used to love guys like Jarret Jack and Carl Landry energising off the bench?
You bring up a lot of great memories.
I Totally forgot about the Jarrett Jack acquisition. He was huge for the Warriors back then. Provided that extra ball handler much in the same way the Warriors wanted Dennis Schrader this year. Jarret Jack was fantastic.
You know what, Bob Myers did a lot of great things that you mentioned. Probably the biggest was buying low on Andrew Wiggins and taking advantage of the fact Towns wanted his buddy D’Angelo Russell.
Warriors even got a first round out of it, which resulted in Jonathan Kuminga if I remember correctly?
I won’t give Bob Myers credit for Iguodala because I think the other players recruited him away from Denver after that series.
But you bring up a lot of great points and I think I realized that trashed Myers a little too harshly after reading what you wrote.
I love your post and your memory is outstanding.
If you don’t mind, I’m going to comment on a couple more things you brought up.
I think the Warriors got lucky with Kevon Looney as he slipped because of his hip. He was pretty good at UCLA, but to get a starting center that number 30 is pretty fantastic.
But it’s because Looney slid in the rankings because of the injury. You almost have to pick him if you’re the Warriors at number 30. No-brainer.
Same thing with Harrison Barnes. We all had our fingers crossed that we would get the seventh pick instead of the eighth or later. The 6 teams ahead of the Warriors didn’t need a small forward, but the Warriors were desperate for one to complete their starting five.
As with Looney, the Warriors were lucky Harrison Barnes fell into their lap.
OK, one more… I think the Durant acquisition was a recruiting effort by the players. I think the “Hampton five” went out, with management of course, but it’s the players who talked Duran into signing as a free agent.
Just throwing those out there and if my memory is wrong, I apologize. Still love your post and you bring up so many great points. Thumbs up all the way.
OK, one more.., Turning Kevin Durant into a sign and trade for DeAngelo Russell was pretty genius.
With the Warriors over the cap by quite a bit they were able to keep that salary spot and through trades be able to plug-in other guys.
Sure De Angelo Russell wasn’t quite a keeper, but Bob Myers turned Russell into Wiggins and a first round pick.
Very genius move on Bob Myers part.
Well chucked
Don’t forget juan toscano anderson , straight outta e. oakland
Another great call.
He was huge for them one playoff season and as a 6-6 small forward, played a big man role and helped the warrior in a major way. Another great post !!
I think it would be a mistake for the Pelicans to let Willie Green go, but if they do the Suns should jump on him.
Patrick Dumont looks like he could be the mommy’s boy serial killer in a Netflix series.