Suns sign GM James Jones to contract extension

"We’re fortunate to have a great basketball mind leading this team. James not only has tremendous instinct for identifying talent, but he has an innate ability to compose a roster that is deep with complementary players who make each other better, on and off the court," managing partner Robert Sarver said. "He came in with strongly-held beliefs on what it would take to nurture a championship culture and what it should mean to wear a Suns jersey. We promised fans an elite NBA franchise that would steal their hearts and make them proud and that’s what we have built under James’ leadership."

Jones took over as the Suns interim GM in October 2018 and was named the full-time GM on April 11, 2019. The 41-year-old hired Monty Williams as head coach the following month.

Phoenix went 34-39 during the 2019-2020 season but had a massive offseason heading into the next campaign, highlighted by the Nov. 16, 2020, trade to acquire future Hall of Famer Chris Paul. The Suns finished last season second in the Western Conference at 51-21 and made it to the NBA Finals for the first time in 28 years before falling to the Milwaukee Bucks.

Phoenix set a franchise record with an 18-game winning streak earlier this season and currently has the best mark in the NBA at 37-9. According to NBA.com, since entering "The Bubble" in the summer of 2020, the Suns hold the league’s best regular-season record at 96-30 (.762).