And if you have the right mix of people, if you have common goals and youre aligned, it makes working, coming to work every day exciting. The Phoenix Suns have signed general manager James Jones to a multiyear contract extension, he confirmed to The Undefeated. Suns stars Devin Booker and Deandre Ayton have said it means a lot to them to have an African American coach and general manager who have also played in the league. It really wasnt that long ago when Phoenix Suns general manager James Jones was creating some cause for trepidation at the start of his tenure. Jones was given a well-deserved contract extension on Tuesday after earning Executive of the Year last season and executing a radical transformation of Phoenix the last two-plus years. Kaminsky was another guy they essentially got for free after his brief run with the Sacramento Kings. The Phoenix Suns are rewarding general manager. Game Recap: Suns eclipsed by hot Nuggets, fall 125-107. He also seems like a genuinely great person and has made a positive impact in the locker room already. When it started to get close, it was one of those deals where I was like, holy smokes, like, this could be really good, Williams said of the Paul trade. Before the first day of the 2022-23 season Extension deadline for Cameron Johnson. A daily roundup of Phoenix Suns news from Bright Side of the Sun, By submitting your email, you agree to our, James Jones just keeps winning on the margins, Monty and the Suns need to realize that Shamet aint it. Its no surprise he was the perfect person to do that after Jones nickname in the veteran stages of his playing career was Champ. The nickname was bestowed to Jones by LeBron James and company for Jones consistent, professional presence and work rate, the true conduct of a champion. The Phoenix Suns dropped from best odds to win the West to 3rd best, despite still being 2nd best to win the whole league. The three-time NBA Champion is simply referred to. PG: Chris Paul, Cameron Payne, Elfrid Payton Suns general manager James Jones signs multiyear contract extension. James just has no ego, Suns coach Monty Williams recently said. In Paul, Jones gave Williams a future Hall of Fame point guard who he had previously worked with in New Orleans. Every move he makes will influence the new owners decisions this summer. * Teams and players can agree to push back cut-down dates but not past January 7 each year. 10/31/21 Team options on Cameron Johnson and Jalen Smith. So, for me personally, Im just thankful for my team.. Jones was never on an NBA team with a losing record and only missed the playoffs oncewith the Trail Blazers in 200708. With Jimmy Butler hobbled late by an ankle injury, Miami gets big performances from Kyle Lowry and Kevin Love to take the series opener in New York. With Paul, the Suns earned the second-best regular-season record in the NBA (51-21) and the fifth-highest single-season winning percentage in franchise history (.708). He has continued his impressive run and continues to gain the trust of the front office and coaching staff. Jones' final NBA game ever was Game 4 of that 2017 Finals series against the Warriors on June 9, 2017 where Cleveland would win the game 137 - 116 with Jones playing only the last 2 minutes of the game and recording no stats. Our goal is to do the same thing. James Jones knows a thing or two about that. Furthermore, he is instilling the same championship culture and standard that he experienced on multiple occasions as a player. Jones said the pain for the Suns falling short in the 2021 NBA Finals to the Milwaukee Bucks will burn forever, itll never go away. But todays Suns appear better and more confident than last season and have the potential to return to the Finals again. 1 overall pick have been mischaracterized. Jones was drafted by the Indiana Pacers in the second round of the 2003 NBA draft. He also earned Big East All-Academic honors all four seasons and was the Hurricanes' first Verizon Academic All-American selection. They currently own a league-best 37-9 record. Suns name James Jones general manager. 6/29/22 Qualifying offer deadlines for Deandre Ayton, Mikal Bridges and Landry Shamet. But I also knew that having Chris was going to change things in the way that could allow for us to be in this position, just because of who he is and my experience with him before.. Hes got three of em to prove it and its a sign of respect hes more than earned. Jones received nine first-place votes and 65 overall points, narrowly beating out . [59][60] Despite the mixed reception, Jones' moves would help the Suns achieve their best record in five seasons, before the COVID-19 pandemic hit U.S. shores in 2020, with a 2639 record before the season was suspended. Now, there's some evidence to support that. On behalf of Boot Hill Casino & resort (KS). [50] The Cavaliers won the Eastern Conference championship for the third year in a row, as Jones and teammate LeBron James joined Bill Russell, Bob Cousy, K. C. Jones, Sam Jones, Tom Heinsohn, and Frank Ramsey (all from the Boston Celtics) as the only players in NBA history to reach seven consecutive NBA Finals. With the salary cap set at $109 million, the Suns are expected to operate as a team over the cap but well under the $132 million luxury tax threshold, reports Arizona Sports' John Gambadoro and. He dealt T.J. Warren and the 32nd overall pick to the Indiana Pacers in a three-team trade for cash. Then didnt offer the max to Ayton, probably the easiest of decisions to any GM. A franchise with rich history at the center position, the Los Angeles Lakers went into the 2018-19 NBA season with JaVale McGee the only viable big man. [2] He won his second championship when the Heat defeated the San Antonio Spurs in seven games. Getting to see people achieve at the highest level, Jones previously told The Undefeated. A daily roundup of Phoenix Suns news from Bright Side of the Sun, By submitting your email, you agree to our, Windhorst: Sarver has veto power on any trade for player making over league average salary, Monty and the Suns need to realize that Shamet aint it. At the same time, I had feelings for Ricky, Kelly and Ty. Jones is a former Phoenix Sun and was originally named the General Manager in 2019 after being. 6/29/23 Qualifying offer deadline for Jalen Smith. [25] On July 19, 2010, Jones was re-signed by the Heat for the league minimum. Center of the Sun: The Rubio mentality, next-level Booker, and respect. There may be mixed opinions on both of these guys, but make no mistake about it, theyve had their moments this year where theyve contributed to winning basketball. [15][2] Jones finished the 200708 season third in the league in three-point percentage with a percentage of 44.4%. General Managers often win awards through the blockbuster trades they make. He was named Third-team All-Big East his junior year and Second-team Verizon Academic All-American his senior year. Why would the outgoing owners care, if theyre about to sell the team? Bower later dealt a package centered on Harris to acquire Blake Griffin, who this season led the Pistons back to the Playoffs as he returned to the NBA All-Star Game for the first time since 2015. One of his first roster moves in 2019 was trading No. Currently, there are 11 African American general managers in the league, as well as Toronto Raptors president Masai Ujiri, who is Nigerian. [5] He played in only 26 total minutes[6] over six games during his rookie campaign in 200304 and missed 66 games due to a variety of injuries. If/when the Ishbias take over midseason, they will be on the hook for current-year salaries and, eventually, the luxury tax bill thats already over $30 million. The finances of NFL, NHL and NBA are largely controlled by a salary cap in each sport, with some flexibility in the NBA. Updated by the minute, our Dallas Cowboys NFL Tracker: News and views and moves inside The Star and around the league . With the conference semifinals set, let's take a look at the best player in each of the 8 first-round series. He gave the Suns some much-needed big man production when Dario Saric missed time and Damian Jones was unplayable. Jones brought in the majority of those players, not to mention Williams himself. January 25, 2022 The Phoenix Suns have signed general manager James Jones to a multiyear contract extension, he confirmed to The Undefeated. April 11, 2019 4:27 PM. Center of the Sun: The Rubio mentality, next-level Booker, and respect. Thats where our joy comes from here, is that every day we get a chance to go out there and compete, and try to build the resiliency, the habits and the capacity to win a title. You know what I mean? percent of your roster taking up just 14.2% of your cap space. On taking the extension during the Sarver investigation, Jones added: This organization, business and basketball, its good. Paul was an NBA MVP candidate this season. After not reaching a rookie scale extension agreement with center Deandre Ayton on Monday, Suns general manager James Jones tells Sam Amick of The Athletic that the team's discussions with the former No. [47][48], On August 3, 2016, Jones re-signed with the Cavaliers. 7/1/22 Start of the 2022-23 calendar year and moratorium. [44][45] He played in 48 games during the 201516 season while averaging 3.7 points, 1.0 rebounds and 9.6 minutes a game. [2] He also runs a camp called Crew 22 Training Camp. 8/6/21 Traded Jevon Carter and DayRon Sharpe (2021-29th) to the Brooklyn Nets for Landry Shamet. Adding a few million to the luxury tax bill is relatively incidental to a $2 billion windfall on a $4 billion valuation, whenever the sale is finally done. Jones, one of 11 Black general managers in the NBA, agreed to the extension in the midst of the NBAs investigation into the Suns and the conduct of majority owner Robert Sarver. And what if he, using his basketball scouting powers, really likes a player on another team? to get a year of Aron Baynes and a late 2019 first-round pick spent on Ty Jerome (whoops! During his tenure, Jones hired Monty Williams, who was the NBCA Coach of the Year last season. He averaged 25 points per game as a senior, earning Class 6A Player of the Year and First-team All-State honors. Cook and Cincinnati's Joe Mixon, who has a base salary of $9.4 million in 2023, could be next. [54] During the 201819 season, he orchestrated two trades for the Suns to acquire more veteran players to help improve the team's play: trading Trevor Ariza for Kelly Oubre Jr. in December 2018 and Ryan Anderson for Tyler Johnson in February 2019. [35][36] In 201314, the Heat made the 2014 NBA Finals as they recorded their fourth straight Finals appearance. Jones is working for the best on-court product, but hes also working for Sarver, Garvin AND the Ishbias in some form or another. And thats all we can ask for.. tweet. [66] The Suns would reach the 2021 NBA Finals, but lost the series in 6 games to the Milwaukee Bucks. Sign up for the During his time with the Pistons he revamped the teams roster, leading to a breakthrough season in 2015-16 when the Pistons went 44-38 (their first time finishing over .500 since 2007-08) and qualified for the 2016 NBA Playoffs (their first postseason appearance since 2009). The Suns have surrounded their stars with the perfect blend of complementary pieces. He started all 29 games for the Hurricanes his sophomore year, averaging 11.9 points, 5.9 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 1.2 steals and 1.6 blocks per game. [68] He and his wife Destiny have a son named James Dylan Jones and two daughters named Jadynn Alyssa Jones and Jodie Marissa Jones. [26] He played in 81 games, starting 8, for the team during the 201011 season, averaging 5.9 points, 2.0 rebounds and 19.1 minutes per game. Even beyond the Sarver/Garvin issue, now consider James Jones trouble. A few additions stand out when looking at the current roster construction. The backup shooting guard spot has been a bit of a rollercoaster ride between him, Jevon Carter, and ETwaun Moore this season, but it looks like hes edged them out of late. Beyond that take, though, was the real-time realization we saw the latest organizational overhaul in the summer of 2019 and it was exciting to at least see a sense of purpose behind it. [2] Jones's father Jay Lee played at Southern University while his uncle Mitchell Lee played at the University of Minnesota and his cousin Shawn Brailsford played at Marshall University. Mike Budenholzers Job With Bucks In Jeopardy? He dealt a 2020 late first-round pick that became Desmond Bane (whoops!) and "JHoops" (pronounced Joops). Jones has to clear any significant trades interim governor Sam Garvin, outgoing governor Robert Sarver and potentially incoming governors, the Ishbia brothers. pin. During his playing career, Jones was one of the top executives with the National Basketball Players Association, spending several years on the NBPAs executive committee as secretary-treasurer. Breaking down the Golden State-Los Angeles matchup with 3 things to watch, 1 X-factor and a series prediction. I dont take it for granted. According to Brian Windhorst of ESPN, suspended outgoing team governor Robert Sarver still has some authority over what happens to the Suns while he is still the controlling partner. Owner Robert Sarver and general manager James Jones of the Phoenix Suns look on during the NBA preseason game at Footprint Center on October 06, 2021 in Phoenix, Arizona. [53] On October 8, 2018, Jones was named an interim general manager for the Phoenix Suns alongside assistant general manager Trevor Bukstein after firing the previous general manager, Ryan McDonough. The Suns have been up for sale since before the 2022-23 season started and, while a sale is pending the team will remain officially on the market until after the February 9 midseason trade deadline. [39] LeBron James, Jones's teammate with the Heat, had asked him to come join him in Cleveland. 2017-18 Prior to becoming assistant general manager, Bukstein spent three seasons as the Suns director of basketball administration. He averaged 25.2 points, 12 rebounds, 2.5 assists, two steals, and six blocks per game his senior season, earning First-team All-State and First-team All-Dade honors. Jones played college basketball for the Miami Hurricanes of the University of Miami, where he was a three-year starter and finished his career averaging 11 points per game.
