On Monday, the Phoenix Suns released some very interesting and insightful content stemming from their active participation in the 2024 NBA Draft. They presented us with an “Inside the War Room” that allowed us to follow the draft day conversations live leading up to each pick.
In the video, we saw the split-second communication between James Jones and Josh Bartelstein, the NBA and other team executives. We also saw James Jones mention the advantage of splitting the draft into two days.
Some of the most important findings for me:
Interpersonal communication
Urgency is the key word for me. From James Jones to all the existing parties and precise communication, there was a lot of understanding of the goals and how they could potentially achieve them in addition to more second-round picks.
Budenholzer’s comment
“I’m good with Dunn” makes me believe that Budenholzer already thought highly of him (as Shams Charania has shared) and confirms that they were focused on getting a job done.
Also talks about the intrigue surrounding Budenholzer, which is based on Dunn’s film in college.
Josh Bartelstein
“We wanted Ryan Dunn. So it’s a win-win situation to get Ryan Dunn at 28, even though we were targeting him at 22, and to get those picks.”
The fact that they were patient and secured the pick they wanted in addition to the compensation speaks volumes about the work they did before the NBA Draft and their ability to react in real time.
From Ishbia to Jones
The final quick hit that I was very intrigued by was when it came to the deal to recruit Oso Ighodaro, Bartelstein asked Ishbia what he was trying to accomplish by signing the deal and Ishbia then handed it right over to Jones to do his job and talked to me.
Ishbia stressed that he was going to be a hands-on owner, but also urged people to do their jobs in the whole thing. His immediate handover to Jones to sign off on the deal was a direct example of him not just saying that, but acting on it.
Overall, it was a hit in terms of content, especially considering what the schedule looks like at the end of August and how little news there was in the weeks leading up to the training camp and media day.
It was even more fun to take something from the War Room for the Suns. What stood out to you?
