Suns Name Morgan Cato Assistant GM, VP of Basketball Operations, per Report

She’ll become the first woman of color to hold the title of assistant GM.

The Suns are planning to hire the Morgan Cato as assistant general manager and vice president of basketball operations, making her one of the highest-ranking women in an NBA front office, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. 

Cato will become the first woman of color to hold the title of assistant GM and will report directly to Phoenix GM James Jones. She will also work with Suns coach Monty Williams in a number of areas, including the leadership and strategy related to coaching development, player engagement and front office personnel operations, according to Wojnarowski. 

Cato has spent nearly the last decade working for the NBA under president of league operations Byron Spruell. Her roles for the league were centered on business operations and she worked on several initiatives that targeted the growth of the game throughout the NBA and world including officiating development and the launch of the Basketball Africa League, per Wojnarowski. Cato most recently held the position of associate vice president of business operations.

Now bound for Phoenix, Cato will join a Suns franchise coming off of a crushing postseason exit. The team posted a league-best 64–18 record this past regular season before losing to the Mavericks in the Western Conference semifinals.