Sun Guard Ty Jerome makes his debut with the Northern Arizona Suns on Tuesday November 26 at the Findlay Toyota Center in Prescott Valley, Arizona. (Matt Hinshaw / NAZ Suns)
The Phoenix Suns announced Wednesday that they have agreed to sell their G League team, currently marked as Northern Arizona Suns, to the Detroit Pistons.
Before approaching the Pistons in 2021-22, the G League team will move from Prescott Valley to the Phoenix area for the 2020-21 season. The position of the team is to be determined.
Earlier this month, Phoenix announced a move by the NAZ Suns out of Prescott Valley and closer to Phoenix, citing the coronavirus pandemic and economic issues for the decision.
On Wednesday, CEO James Jones said in a statement that “the ownership and management of the Northern Arizona Suns does not align with the Phoenix Suns’ strategic plan for player development over the next three to five years.”
Jones stated through a list of bullet points that the 11-15 roster positions will be used to continue developing the team’s young players. The other points underlined that the Sun’s focus remains on developing the NBA roster and that young players will gain more value with the NBA team than in the G League.
“We will keep our emphasis on evaluating / exploring NBA G League players for future consideration of the role,” added Jones.
The Suns only join the Denver Nuggets and Portland Trail Blazers as NBA teams that don’t have a one-on-one relationship with a G League team. Twenty-six NBA teams own and manage their respective G League teams.
Under Jones, the Suns were one of the few teams not to make full use of their available bilateral contracts: those were generally used to develop players between the G League and NBA teams, who could also give the NBA team roster two additional points on the roster. .
However, the team used the G League team this year to provide an opportunity for rookie Jalen Lecque, a player out of high school, to buy time to play. He played in 33 games with 23 games on the NAZ Suns but only appeared in six games with Phoenix.
Meanwhile, Detroit owner Tom Gores has said that the purchase by the Pistons should improve their organization.
“This is another major investment in our franchise and in the city of Detroit,” he said in a statement. “Having an NBA G League team close to our new performance center will be an advantage for our front office, our coaching staff and our young players. It will also generate more economic activity in the area and act as a catalyst for additional development. “
The NAZ Suns made their Prescott Valley debut at Findlay Toyota Center in 2016 after previously working in California as Bakersfield Jam for 10 years.
The Phoenix Suns entered into a hybrid operation agreement with the Bakersfield franchise in 2014 before purchasing it and moving to Arizona. This allowed the Phoenix team to have full control of their G League team.
The Detroit G League team expects to play in a new arena under construction on the Wayne State campus, the Pistons said in their statement.
“It’s always bittersweet for a team to move, and I thank Robert Sarver and the Phoenix Suns for their time in this league and fans in Northern Arizona for their continued commitment to the team,” said Shareef Abdur-Rahim, NBA president. G League. “I’m sure Detroit fans will welcome the team with open arms and I can’t wait to watch NBA G League basketball in Wayne State for the seasons to come.”
Jones cited the following bullet points for his decision to sell the Suns G League team:
– The Suns team’s priorities guide our decision-making process which in this case is the development of the youngest NBA list.
– Roster’s positions 11-15 are at the heart of the organization’s development time and effort.
– The teaching experience of the Phoenix Suns technical staff operating within a shared set of guidelines creates an effective learning environment and growth opportunity for our players.
– The value of daily practice and competition against NBA players offer significant improvement opportunities for developing players.
– We will keep our emphasis on evaluating / exploring NBA G League players for future role evaluation.
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