The Suns made a fairly stunning announcement on Monday when owner Robert Sarver fired general manager Ryan McDonough, along with some other high-level front office staffers just eight days before the start of the season.
The decision wasn’t the reason for surprise around the league, as McDonough’s time in Phoenix had not been exactly the model of team-building. But the timing of the move caught many off guard, as people wondered why McDonough was allowed to preside over the draft and free agency if he was on the hot seat, but for whatever reason, the decision was made he had to go immediately.
After parsing through the reasons why this may have happened now — the odds-on favorite is frustration over the lack of a move to land a point guard — the question became who would be willing to take over that job. The Suns have an intriguing roster of young players, headlined by Devin Booker and Deandre Ayton, along with plenty of cap space next season. Sarver, however, is known for making himself part of the decision-making process (even when he isn’t needed) and for his general aversion to opening up the checkbook for big name players, a reputation doesn’t exactly attract top candidates.
On Tuesday, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported the Suns were “leaning” towards making James Jones, currently sharing the interim role along with his duties as the VP of Basketball Operations.
In his initial conversations around the league, Sarver has left little, if any, doubt that Jones will be leading Phoenix’s basketball operations into the future, league sources said.
Woj notes Sarver will change his mind on a whim sometimes, so it’s not set in stone, but it seems that Jones will indeed take over the most prominent position in the front office soon. The picture Wojnarowski paints of Sarver is less than flattering, which comes as little surprise to those that have heard just about anyone from around the NBA talk about the Suns owner.
The most damning account in his story notes that Sarver regularly meddles not only with front office decisions like trades and free agency signings, as many owners involve themselves in those, but that he disrupts calls, holds meetings with players behind the front office’s back, and will go after the coaching staff for lineup changes.
Suns coaches became accustomed to regular beratings and demands of strategy and lineup changes, league sources said. Rival executives could sometimes hear Sarver yelling in the background on negotiation calls with the Suns’ front office. Agents tell stories of private conversations occurring with Sarver without the front office’s knowledge.
That would somewhat explain why the Suns would move fast to promote Jones internally. Not only is the candidate list in October short, but the best of those likely aren’t leaving their current situation for what they’d face in Phoenix. For Jones, it’s a great chance to take on the responsibility of a GM, and he’s beloved around the league, so one would expect him to be able to successfully cultivate relationships with players and other front offices. The question, as it always is in Phoenix, is whether Sarver will be willing to let him do his thing without too much interference, and the likely answer is no.
