Phoenix Suns team owner Mat Ishbia may want to reconsider his response to a recently conducted ESPN poll.
ESPN published an article on Monday called the “NBA Summer Forecast,” which shared the results of a poll conducted among the company’s top NBA insiders. The ESPN reporters voted on categories such as which NBA team will make a “major leap” or which superstar will ask for a trade next.
The Suns ranked tied for third with 28 points in the grim category “Which team will take a tumble this season?” Only the Milwaukee Bucks (41) and Los Angeles Lakers (32) got more votes in the poll.
Ishbia reposted an article highlighting ESPN’s poor outlook on the Suns. The 45-year-old businessman captioned the post with an explanation as to why he was not sweating the opinions of ESPN’s “the so-called experts.”
“I’m not worried about what the so-called experts think,” Ishbia wrote. “They had us as a title contender the past two years and were wrong then. We’re focused on making our fans proud by playing great as a team and building a brand of basketball that’s tough and gritty.”
I'm not worried about what the so-called experts think. They had us as a title contender the past two years and were wrong then. We're focused on making our fans proud by playing great as a team and building a brand of basketball that's tough and gritty. https://t.co/o9ysQlxW6r
— Mat Ishbia (@Mishbia15) August 27, 2025
On one hand, Ishbia does have a point that expert opinions, especially in the offseason, can be taken with a grain of salt. Rosters across the league reshuffle. Young players can make great strides in their summer workouts. There’s a world wherein newly acquired guard Jalen Green becomes an All-Star next season and Devin Booker makes the leap to become an MVP-caliber player. Nobody knows for certain until the players take the court and the games are played.
On the other hand, Ishbia basically roasted himself and his own team’s roster decisions since he bought the team in 2023. He called experts out for erroneously touting Phoenix as a would-be contender over the past two seasons with its ill-fated core of Booker, Kevin Durant, and Bradley Beal. He made a valid point at his own expense.
Ishbia isn’t making it any easier for himself to avoid criticism this offseason. Fans made fun of him last month for making a rather questionable hire for the Suns’ coaching staff.
