00:00Suns fans, let's pause for a moment and truly assess where this franchise stands after a season
00:06that flipped nearly every script. What Matt Ishbia just pulled off deserves more than a passing nod,
00:11it calls for a closer honest look at both the triumph and the trial ahead.
00:15Taking a victory lap is one of the sweetest privileges in professional sports.
00:20On Thursday, Matt Ishbia took his, he earned every step of it. The Suns owner just wrapped
00:25up a stunning season. His WNBA team, the Phoenix Mercury, rocketed from last place all the way to
00:31the finals. His NBA squad defied all odds and silenced every critic. Nobody in Phoenix rolls
00:37their eyes anymore when someone talks about future championships. Now, we nod along.
00:43Operating under intense scrutiny and pressure, Ishbia won the Kevin Durant trade. He hired a
00:48first-time head coach who turned out to be a basketball savant. He then brought in a former
00:53college basketball lifer as general manager, and they were done, raised eyebrows and ended
01:06up paying massive dividends. From the top down, our heritage franchise delivered a first-class
01:11performance. But here comes the truly difficult part. How do the Suns win a playoff game, a playoff
01:16series? How do they finally capture a championship that has evaded Arizona for 58 years? There is
01:23very little value in making only minor tweaks to the roster Ishbia praised on Thursday. Yes,
01:29the Suns were hammered by injuries. They missed critical players down the stretch and into the
01:32postseason. The trio of Devin Booker, Kevin Durant, and Bradley Beal had painfully little time to build
01:38genuine chemistry on the floor. Yet, delusion carries great danger, too. After three remarkable
01:46months of regular season basketball, the Suns stumbled toward the finish line. This team badly
01:52needs size and length. It needs roster balance. And then there is the matter of Devin Booker.
01:58Wise or not, Ishbia left no doubt on Thursday. Booker will not be traded. Instead, he boldly proclaimed
02:06that Booker will win a championship right here in Phoenix. The loyalty on display was heartwarming.
02:11In a sports town, shaped and enriched by long-term bonds with figures like Larry Fitzgerald and Shane
02:17Doan, two players who loved us back and never chased greener pastures, we understand the power of
02:22fidelity and commitment in pro sports. Except. Booker no longer looks like an ascending force capable of
02:31being the centerpiece of a championship team. The player who single-handedly wins massive games when
02:36it matters most. That means the Suns have to get even better over the upcoming offseason. It means
02:41Ishbia must find the right mix of talent to surround Booker, to ease the congestion around him, including
02:47the addition of a legitimate threat at the rim. That means Ishbia will likely have to pull off another
02:52major trade, possibly involving Jalen Green and other pieces, threading a needle that remains hidden in the
02:57haystack. We wish him well, and after unofficially capturing the title of comeback owner of the year,
03:03he has certainly earned some benefit of the doubt. So what do you think? Can Devin Booker still be the
03:08cornerstone of a parade down Central Avenue, or will it take yet another blockbuster move from Ishbia
03:14to finally bring the trophy home to Phoenix?
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