Intense Business Rivalry Dragged Into the NBA as $60 Million Gesture From Billionaire Phoenix Suns Owner Might Be Bittersweet News for Devin Booker and Chris Paul

With the unpredictable nature of modern basketball leagues, many teams are being handed over to different and capable owners for better administration. With new owners come new dynamics and NBA fans are expecting the same with the newest acquisition of the Phoenix Suns. And the fact that the Suns’ new owner, who has also been an athlete in his younger days, is not much older than their top players might be bittersweet news for the Suns’ players, especially for Devin Booker and Chris Paul.

Mat Ishbia will soon be the new owner of the Phoenix side and he’s bringing a lot of new dynamics with him. The Detroit-born billionaire has worked his way to the top, making rivals who exist alongside him in the NBA.

What does this mean for Chris Paul and Devin Booker?

Mat Ishbia flies into the NBA as he is set to buy the Phoenix Suns for a reported $4 Billion. The team is currently owned by Robert Gary Sarver, who hired an investment bank to help with the sale of the team in October 2022. But some fans are wondering how this acquisition might have an ulterior motive behind it.

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Ishbia is also known to have a pretty intense business rivalry with the Cleveland Cavaliers owner, Dan Gilbert. Both of them are not fond of each other, to say the least. Ishbia has publicly criticized the layoffs of over 2,000 employees by Gilbert. The reason behind the fan’s concerns about this being not just a passion project for Ishbia.

Ishbia is known to be a great boss. According to a Yahoo! Finance report in 2020, Ishbia gifted Cadillacs worth $60 Million to employees for their hard work. Well, fans have heard of player bonuses, but this might come as a surprise. Devin Booker and Chris Paul certainly won’t be the ones to complain.

The Billionaire owner has played basketball in college. Although he wasn’t pretty good at it, he won a National Championship at Michigan State University. Safe to say, it is expected that the new owner would like to put his own ideas while running the team. In a team with years of NBA experience, a businessman’s possible interference in the team’s running could go sideways. Hence, the whole ordeal could be bittersweet for the players.

With Chris Paul and Devin Booker at opposite stages of their careers, only time will tell if the Sun sets on the Phoenix side or not.

The 2022-23 season for the Phoenix Suns and where they go from here

The Suns 2022-23 season looks great for the time being. The team dynamics are very different and the Suns seem to deal well with it as they sit in 4th position of their conference.

Watch This Story: The potential buyers of the Phoenix Suns

But the Suns had rough times in many matches with their record standing at 19-13 for the season. Devin Booker has missed the last couple of matches due to a groin injury. Suns fans would be looking to have him back to gain more confidence.