Suns owner Mat Ishbia says that Phoenix G League affiliate should be announced ‘in a week or two’

New Suns owner Mat Ishbia is aware that one of the most important aspects of a title-winning basketball franchise comes through the development of young talents. Phoenix has been without a G League affiliate ever since mayority owner Robert Sarver sold it years ago, and the new administration hopes it won’t be too long until they have it back in Arizona. 

In a recent interview with Ishbia, the fact that the Suns are the only NBA team without a G League team was brought up and the new owner had an ace under his sleeves. “That won’t be something you’ll be talking about in a week or two, how about that?” he said.

This isn’t the only special announcement expected for the next couple of weeks. One of the first that comes to mind is the new uniform reveal. Another which has been tossed around plenty is the fact that Ishbia wishes to have the next WNBA All-Star weekend in Arizona, but for now, he’s content with starting off with his new affiliate squad.

“We’re gonna continue to invest in our team, we’re gonna invest in our future, and a G League team’s important,” he assured.

The Phoenix Suns' new owner Mat Ishbia is worthy of the Valley's trust, @Danbickley writes.https://t.co/ZkVg1xnFrs

— Arizona Sports (@AZSports) July 18, 2023

The new administration is making sure they tie strong knots with the city of Phoenix, one’s that won’t be easy to break in the long term. Last week, for example, the team announced that Arizona’s Family will be the local broadcasting partner that will provide non-nationally televised matches to their viewers for free.

“I am excited to be able to deliver to our Suns and Mercury fans this industry-shifting partnership with Gray Television,” Ishbia said. “We’ve had an incredible offseason, making a lot of exciting moves to build the championship-caliber Suns team our fans want. Now, this deal gives more than 2.8 million homes across Arizona access to Suns and Mercury games for free.

I am proud that we are at the forefront of this shift to make the game more accessible, which not only serves our fan base but also helps to build future NBA and WNBA fans.”

The Suns release a sentimental statement following Cameron Payne’s trade out to San Antonio

Back in the 2019/20 campaign, Cameron Payne first joined the Phoenix team. Today, he leaves as a fan favorite who defintely made his mark during his four-season tenure in Arizona, as he’s been traded out to the Spurs with a second-round pick and cash considerations for another protected second-round selection.

“During his tenure with the Suns, Cam brought infectious energy and joy to our team,” said James Jones, the Suns president of basketball operations and general manager. “We appreciate him for everything he did for this organization and community. We wish Cam nothing but great success going forward.”

Payne, on the other hand tweeted, “Love you PHX!” this past Sunday.

An interesting player who is arriving in Arizona is seven-foot-two Bol Bol, who recently had his best-season performance last year in Orlando. After 70 contests played with 33 starts in 2022/23, the big man averaged a career-high (9.1) points, (5.8) rebounds, and (1.2) blocks.