The Phoenix Suns are entering a new era after team owner Mat Ishbia wanted to change the franchise's culture following a disappointing 2024-25 season. Ishbia's Suns already took a hit from Bill Simmons' The Ringer, which predicted them to be the NBA's worst defensive team this upcoming campaign. Ishbia was not having any of Michael Pina's assessment of his team, challenging Simmons to a bet. The billionaire wants The Ringer founder to put money where his mouth is, with their respective charities of choice getting a donation. "@BillSimmons, you and your crew have some good takes and some that are terrible. You're the betting guru and even you know better than to actually take this bet. Tell you what, go put your money on this take. When you lose, I will donate the same amount to charity of your choice. Different culture and different team in PHX this year. Let’s go!" Ishbia tweeted. NBA fans on social media, particularly on X, formerly known as Twitter, reacted to Mat Ishbia's response to The Ringer. Some can't believe that a team owner would respond to a prediction about his team, while others sided with him due to the outrageous take. Here are some of the comments. EJ’s Waterboy @EJzWaterboyLINKThis is like the White House replying to HoodGeniusFlash Peckerwood @ClydeTheGlide28LINKOur owner is writing checks we may not be able to cash againTroy Willis @Goat0381LINKBill's still waiting for you to pay out on your 26 teams would rather your roster comment lol. Keep talking rubbish Mat, or maybe just focus all your time on turning that mess around𝕋𝕠𝕞 (𝔸𝕚𝕣ℤ𝕠𝕟𝕒) 🥽👨🏻‍💻🏀 ✞ @TomSmallwoodLINK“Winning is a great deodorant” - John Madden, @Mishbia15 nobody will remember you first couple of seasons if you win in the next 5 years, which I believe you will!John William @JohnWillia9286LINKIshbia spittin.We had Coach Bud that ran 3 guard lineups and Plumlee all year. He had a idc coaching approach compared to the intensity Coach Ott has shown so far. Tyus Jones was not good at POA defense, Jalen Green is. Our center rotation is 10x better defensively. We have depthPhil Ticknor @pticknorLINKThe point of the article is that the predictions were getting increasingly bold/wild. After the first few, Pina himself was admitting most of these were unlikely. It helps to read.The Phoenix Suns moved on from Bradley Beal and Kevin Durant in the offseason. They waived Beal, who signed with the LA Clippers, while Durant was traded to the Houston Rockets. They acquired Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks and the pick that eventually became Khaman Maluach. The Suns also traded for Mark Williams from the Charlotte Hornets to be the team's new starting center. Mat Ishbia also overhauled the Suns front office and coaching staffThe roster wasn't the only part of the Phoenix Suns that Mat Ishbia decided to change. The Suns parted ways with coach Mike Budenholzer after just one season and hired former Cleveland Cavaliers assistant Jordan Ott to take over. Assistant Chaisson Allen was the only holdover from last year's staff. Ishbia also promoted Brian Gregory to general manager, replacing James Jones, who decided to accept the NBA's offer to be the league's executive vice president of basketball operations. Oronde Taliaferro was named as assistant general manager. Ishbia has moved on from having big names with the franchise outside of Devin Booker. The roster is still constructed around him, but the priority will be to improve the team's culture.