The Phoenix Suns have promoted Brian Gregory to general manager, they announced Thursday. Gregory is the team’s new lead executive, replacing James Jones, who will transition to the role of senior advisor.
Gregory joined the Suns last season as their vice president of player programming and evaluation. Before that, he was an NCAA head coach for 19 seasons — first with Dayton (2003-2011), then Georgia Tech (2011-2016) and South Florida (2017-2023).
Before the promotion, Gregory was “highly regarded” by owner Mat Ishbia and had a “significant role” in draft strategy, per The Stein Line’s Marc Stein. When Ishbia was a walk-on point guard at Michigan State from 1999 to 2002, Gregory was an assistant coach with the Spartans.
“Brian has been a valuable member of our front office, playing an integral role in drafting and developing our young players,” Ishbia said in the official press release. “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.”
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Jones has been in the Suns’ front office since 2017, shortly after his 14-year playing career ended. They named him interim general manager when they fired Ryan McDonough in October 2018 and removed his interim tag at the end of the 2018-19 season.
“James’ contributions have been instrumental to our organization, and we appreciate everything he has done for the Suns on and off the court,” Ishbia said in the statement. “We are grateful to continue to have his experience and insight.”
Phoenix was expected to be a contender this season, but finished 36-46 and failed to make the play-in. At the end of the regular season, it fired coach Mike Budenholzer. The Suns have had three different coaches in the last three seasons; Gregory will presumably lead the search for the next one.
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The other big item on the front office’s agenda: Reshaping the roster. Judging by Ishbia’s comments in a March interview with ESPN’s Tim MacMahon, Phoenix is not planning to move star guard Devin Booker. Just about everybody else, though — including star forward Kevin Durant — is widely expected to be available.
The Suns also announced that they have promoted Oronde Taliaferro to assistant general manager. He was the team’s director of scouting during the 2024-25 season.
