Phoenix Suns general manager Brian Gregory was thrown into the fire when replacing James Jones just a little over a year ago in May 2025.
He’s managing pretty good.
First joining the Suns as a consultant in 2023 after nearly 20 years of experience as an NCAA Division I head coach, Gregory was elevated to vice president of player programming in June 2024 before becoming the team’s general manager.
Team owner Mat Ishbia trusted him. CEO Josh Bartelstein helped him figure out the landscape of agents, contracts and transactions/trades.
Having been a head coach, Gregory already knew how to connect with players. He’s entering his second season as general manager looking to continue constructing a roster that plays with physicality and toughness.
The Arizona
Republic talked with the 59-year-old Gregory during the team’s media day Sept. 28 at Mortgage Matchup Center about his job, his franchise player, Devin Booker, and two key players, Jalen Green and Miles Bridges, who are up for contract extensions.
Q: You've been a head coach, you've been in these roles of managing people, but this is on another level. Has this turned out the way you expected?
A: “I mean, obviously it was a challenge, but at the same time, I felt we had a lot of good pieces in place. For me, it's about basketball and relationships. I think at times you can maybe overcomplicate things, there's a lot of stuff, I still don't (know), and I'm okay with that. That's one of the best things. I'm okay with that. I have people around me that know it.
“Mat wanted me to concentrate on our players, our coaches and those relationships and getting everybody moving in the same direction, and that was kind of the call to order. And although it was maybe not seen as maybe the best move at the time, I had confidence. Mat had the courage to do it.
"You can work your way through things. I think that's what we've done. I think our work ethic, and not just mine, but everybody around me, everybody in the 5G (practice facility) but then hiring the right coach really helps really helps.”
The Suns hired Jordan Ott last summer to replace Mike Budenholzer. He coached the Suns to a 45-win season and playoff appearance in his first year as an NBA head coach.
Q: It’s been a year since you made that decision. How gratifying is it? You had options, but you made the right call?
A: “It didn't take me a full year to know we made the right choice. What is the challenge? You can be prepared, but you're never ready, because you can't get ready by not actually going through it. Jordan Ott did everything he could to prepare himself to become a head coach. You’re never ready until you go through the firing line. Until you go through a whole season and understand the ups and downs and the challenges and the personalities and all the different things that come with it.
“Because of his commitment to OK, this is what Phoenix Suns basketball looks like, I think he was able to go through those things and learn from them and grow. One of the best things about Jordan Ott is he's never satisfied, meaning he never satisfied with himself. Wants to get better. Always trying to figure out ways. He's understood that for our players to be able to merge the idea of becoming the best player you can be while playing in a team setting. Very few guys have been able to do that and he’s one of them.”
Q: You’ve not only been a supporter of Devin, but you’ve been like, hey, you’re not going to knock my guy. He's doing what we're asking him to do because he takes some shots.
“I'm privy to some stuff that fans and/or media aren't privy to. I see what he does every single day. I see what he does for every player on our team, for every coach. He understands that there'll be criticism that comes his way. He is as quality of superstar as anybody will ever be around, and I think sometimes what happens is you just start taking things for granted. You think we're entitled to that. What he does on a daily basis and what he goes through from a pure basketball perspective. Watching it game-by-game and for him to keep coming back. I'm not sure anybody truly has a great evaluation of what that looks like.”
Q: You have this continuity, brought in guys you think can help you win, but you look at the competition. How do you see your team stacking up when you look at what you guys have done, and what the West is?
“The easy answer is we're going to find out on the court, but I do like the place that we're in. I do like the moves that we made. We can't lose sight of how we were successful last year because we have to make sure that that stays true to who we are. And then find some stuff along the edges that can elevate our overall game. I think personnel wise, I feel comfortable that we've done that.
“Development wise, you see it in the summer, but it has to now manifest itself in the way that we compete and play. I do feel comfortable. Do we have question marks? Yeah. Do some of those other teams have question marks? For sure. I think the one thing that I've learned in the three full years now is this league is a fragile league, and one or two things can happen and a team that's really good, it can get sideways."
Q: Lastly, I know I ask about contracts and you’ll see, we won’t discuss that, but I got to ask. Green and Bridges. What’s mindset with them as far as their extensions go?
A: “I have to give you the same answer. I would say one thing. We traded for Miles because we think it's going to be an impactful player for us. OK?. You can read into that. Jalen Green, he was part of a big trade as well. Last year, because of injury, he didn't get to show everything. I feel all the confidence in the world that he's going to be able to show that this year. We don’t talk about players' contracts, but at the same time, they are highly valued players in our organization.”
Green and Bridges are both up for contract extensions. Green became eligible Oct. 1 for a max extension of four years, $195.2 million while Bridges is eligible for a three-year extension up to $86 million.
ave opinions about the current state of the Suns? Reach Suns Insider Duane Rankin at dmrankin@gannett.com or contact him at 480-810-5518. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter, at @DuaneRankin.
Support local journalism: Subscribe to azcentral.com today.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Suns GM talks offseason moves, Bridges and Green extensions | Exclusive
