Suns promote Brian Gregory to general manager, shaking up front office after disappointing season

PHOENIX (AP) - The Phoenix Suns promoted Brian Gregory to general manager on Thursday as part of a front office shakeup following one of the most disappointing seasons in franchise history.

The team also said that former general manager James Jones will transition to the role of senior advisor. Oronde Taliaferro was promoted to assistant general manager and Paul Rivers will add basketball operations responsibilities to his role as chief innovation officer.

"Brian has been a valuable member of our front office, playing an integral role in drafting and developing our young players," Phoenix Suns owner Mat Ishbia said in a statement. "I am excited for him to step in to the role of general manager. He is a brilliant basketball mind, and he will transform and elevate our team."

Gregory joined the Suns in 2023 and was most recently the vice president of player programming. He had a major role in the Suns selecting Ryan Dunn and Oso Ighodaro in last year’s draft and both had promising moments during their rookie seasons.

Gregory was a college basketball coach for 19 seasons at Dayton (2003-11), Georgia Tech (2011-16) and South Florida (2017-23). He was also an assistant coach at Michigan State from 1999-2003, which was when Ishbia played as a walk-on for the Spartans.

The Suns had championship aspirations this season thanks to the All-Star trio of Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal but finished with a 36-46 record, missing the playoffs entirely.

Gregory will have several decisions to make this summer, including what to do with Durant, who is under contract for next year but also represents one of the few valuable trade chips the franchise could move.