If Denver Nuggets fans didn't know who Mat Ishbia was when the 2023 playoffs rolled around, they learned during the Nuggets-Suns second-round series. An "altercation" between Ishbia and Nikola Jokić went viral, as Jokić was trying to grab the ball from Ishbia's hands to continue play. Ishbia became Phoenix's new majority owner in February, a couple of months before the postseason began.
Jokić approached Ishbia before the next game, shaking his hand and patting him on the back. All was good in Ishbia's world again, at least temporarily. The Nuggets won the series, 4-2, eliminating the Suns in their first postseason appearance with Kevin Durant.
Little did Ishbia know that it would be the closest Phoenix would come to winning a title with KD. This summer, the Suns traded Durant to the Rockets (after trying to trade him before the February deadline) and used the waive-and-stretch provision to move on from Bradley Beal. Phoenix remained committed to Devin Booker, giving him a two-year, $145 million maximum extension.
For whatever reason, Ishbia believes that Phoenix can contend for a title. If you look at the Suns' roster and then look at the Nuggets' roster, you'll understand how far Phoenix is from reaching the mountaintop.
Suns' offseason went from bad to even worse
After Phoenix traded for Durant in February 2023, the Suns' odds of winning the championship that year increased. That made sense. You acquire a player like KD, and in theory, you come closer to winning it all. The issue is that Ishbia failed to build a winning team around Durant and Booker. The Suns will (literally) pay for the bizarre Beal trade.
The Nuggets' dominance during the 2023 postseason was too much for its opponents. It's hard as it is to win a championship after a major midseason trade like the one Phoenix made, but the Suns, their fan base, and the media thought momentum was on Phoenix's side after it beat the Clippers in the first round.
It pays to have the best player in the world on your team. That title once belonged to Durant, but Jokić was too much for the Suns.
Phoenix is desperately trying to stay relevant in a conference where top teams, like the Nuggets, have upgraded their rosters this offseason (including trading for former Suns forward Cam Johnson). The Suns might think they did the same, but reality will begin to catch up with them in a couple of months.