Report: Suns promote VP Brian Gregory to general manager

The Phoenix Suns will have new leadership as they enter a pivotal off-season.

Vice president Brian Gregory is set to take over as general manager while James Jones shifts to an advisory role, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported on Thursday.

The Suns are coming off a disappointing season in which they missed the post-season after placing 11th in the Western Conference with a 36-46 record.

In April, the team fired head coach Mike Budenholzer after just one season at the helm.

Expectations were high for the Suns, led by Kevin Durant and Devin Booker, but a porous defence and dismal road record prevented them from playoff contention.

Now, Gregory — a 20-year NCAA head coach at Dayton, Georgia Tech and South Florida — will take over.

His first task will be hiring a new head coach. Then, he will have to determine how to get the Suns back into the playoffs as rumours swirl about Durant’s future.

Jones had been Suns GM since 2019 and led the team to the 2021 Finals, where they lost in six games to the Milwaukee Bucks.