The Phoenix Suns have hired a new general manager.
The Suns have transitioned out James Jones as their GM and are moving him to a senior advisor role. In his place, they are promoting Brian Gregory to serve as both GM and head of basketball operations.
Gregory was hired by the Suns in June 2024 and is now being put in charge of many decisions for the franchise. This will be a new role for him, as he has deep experience as a head coach. He has served as a head coach for Dayton, Georgia Tech and South Florida during his career.
Gregory getting the job as the Suns GM is very much an example of why “who you know” is important. Gregory served as an assistant coach on Tom Izzo’s staff at Michigan State from 1999-2003. Current Suns owner Mat Ishbia, who took over the team in 2022, was a walk-on point guard at Michigan State from 1999-2002, meaning Gregory was one of his coaches.
Jones had been the Suns’ GM since 2019 and even was named the NBA’s Executive of the Year in 2020-2021. Phoenix had an extremely disappointing season and finished 36-46 to miss the playoffs entirely. The team had reached the NBA Finals in 2021, which began a streak of four straight seasons where they made the playoffs before that streak was broken in 2025.
