Feb 27, 2025; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Phoenix Suns owner Mat Ishbia watches a game against the New Orleans Pelicans in the second quarter at Footprint Center. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images

They may not know it, but the Phoenix Suns are in flux.

Fresh off the summer where they traded Kevin Durant, the Suns are ready to begin a new era that will now heavily feature Jalen Green and Dillon Brooks alongside franchise player Devin Booker. On paper, basketball-wise, Phoenix appears to have one of the NBA's worst rosters. Off the court, the Suns are reportedly (and weirdly) trying to prevent team employees from pursuing litigation against the organization.

Amid all this internal chaos, human projection of stability, a.k.a. Suns owner Mat Ishbia, took the time to address some pertinent team issues at Phoenix's media day on Wednesday. When talking about his expectations for the team's performance this year, Ishbia noted how he'd like the Suns to eclipse their 36-win total from last season. That's reasonable. Admirable, even! Then, he unnecessarily gave that statement a qualifier, noting that Phoenix's "success" won't be defined by wins and losses but ... in success, whatever that means.

I'm sorry, I have to say it. Does Ishbia know what the word success means? It's not clear!

So, uh, how is Ishbia defining Phoenix's success if it's not about wins and losses? Mind you, that's what most rational people would say.

Is it about creating value for the shareholders (read: lining his own pockets because the Suns aren't publicly traded)? He probably can't say that out loud because I'm positive it wouldn't go over well with fans. Is it about showing gradual growth amid a dark season that may likely feature a lot of lows? Friends, that sort of goal is usually reserved for young teams. Outside of the 23-year-old Green, the Suns aren't a young team by any means.

Whatever Ishbia meant in his rambling statement here, I'm sure he'll get back to us eventually. To say the least, I am very eager to hear what success means for the Suns if it's not scoring more points than the other team on a consistent basis.

This article originally appeared on For The Win: Suns owner tries, fails to define NBA success

Reporting by Robert Zeglinski, For The Win / For The Win

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