Suns Owner: We Really Liked Bronny

Mat Ishbia says the Phoenix Suns really liked Bronny James ahead of the 2024 NBA Draft.

Jul 15, 2024; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Bronny James (9) competes during the first half against the Boston Celtics at Thomas & Mack Center. Mandatory Credit: Lucas Peltier-USA TODAY Sports / Lucas Peltier-USA TODAY Sports

PHOENIX -- The Phoenix Suns were one of two teams Bronny James was reportedly interested in joining ahead of the 2024 NBA Draft - the other being the Los Angeles Lakers.

James reportedly worked out for just those two organizations ahead of the draft despite rumored interest from other teams, and in the second round, James was officially made a Laker.

Speculation ran wild on a possible James-Phoenix connection through the offseason, and Suns owner Mat Ishbia hopped on The Pat McAfee Show and was asked about James only wanting to be in Phoenix or Los Angeles:

"We really liked Bronny, we thought he was a good player. I know the Lakers drafted him and I hope he has a great career," Ishbia said.

"He's got a great basketball IQ. He does a lot of great things and he's got a lot of pressure to be the son of one of the greatest of all time. He's got pressure on him and so we thought it might be a good fit here in Phoenix. Obviously the Lakers drafted him - I wish him the best, but we feel good that people want to come here.

"We want Phoenix to be a destination for the Mercury, for the Suns, for the players, for fans, we want it to be a destination. So when people want to play for us or want to be part of our organization - whether it's free agents, whether it's rookies - it feels great. We're trying to build that here in Phoenix, we're trying to do something special and so it's always a positive thing in my opinion."

James' agent in Rich Paul allegedly threatened teams picking above the Lakers in the second round to not draft his client, and now he's joining the first ever father-son duo in NBA history with LeBron re-signing with the Lakers in free agency.

The Suns ended up with Ryan Dunn and Oso Ighodaro in the draft, so the team isn't overly upset they missed on Bronny.

Notable stars such as Bradley Beal and Kevin Durant have pushed their way to a trade specifically to Phoenix while other notable role players have taken veteran minimum deals to play for the Suns.

While a championship has yet to materialize, the organization sure is trending in the right direction in terms of appeal.