Detroit — Mat Ishbia’s start as owner of the Phoenix Suns is off to an aggressive beginning.
After landing Kevin Durant in a blockbuster deal at the trade deadline, the United Wholesale Mortgage CEO is revamping his newly-acquired front office.
Pistons assistant general manager Josh Bartelstein has been hired as the Suns’ new CEO, a league source confirmed to The Detroit News on Sunday.
ESPN’s Adrain Wojnarowski was first to report the hire. Bartelstein is expected to help Ishbia oversee the Suns’ business and basketball operations. He replaces Jason Rowley, who resigned from the position last month before Ishbia was officially introduced as owner.
Bartelstein, 33, joined the Pistons in 2015 as a vice president of strategy and chief of staff. He was announced in September as assistant general manager, a role in which he worked closely with general manager Troy Weaver. He previously served one season as executive vice president of business and basketball operations and two years as the franchise’s EVP and chief of staff.
Before his transition to the basketball operations side of the business, Bartelstein worked closely with Pistons vice chairman Arn Tellem on all of the franchise’s major projects. He played vital roles in the Pistons’ return to Detroit to play at Little Caesars Arena, the construction of the team’s Midtown practice facility, the acquisition of the Motor City Cruise and the agreement with Wayne State University to build a basketball arena on the school’s campus.
A native of Highland Park, Illinois, Bartelstein is the son of NBA agent Mark Bartelstein, whose client list includes Bradley Beal, Michael Porter Jr., Kyle Lowry and former Michigan guard Tim Hardaway Jr. Josh Bartelstein also played at Michigan, where he started as a walk-on and eventually became a captain of the Wolverines team that reached the 2013 NCAA championship game.
Hayes awaits MRI results after hand injury
Pistons guard Killian Hayes was ruled out of Saturday’s loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers after suffering an apparent hand injury.
He remained in the locker room after halftime and did return to the Pistons’ bench until shortly before the six-minute mark of the third quarter. Hayes tried to play through the pain, but he only lasted two minutes before he checked out of the game for good.
Coach Dwane Casey said Hayes took an x-ray after the game and the results were “clean.” However, he received an MRI on the hand Sunday morning and will await the results before he’s cleared to play in Monday’s game against the Portland Trail Blazers.
“I didn’t see the play,” Casey said. “He just said it started going numb, so we’ll have to see.”
Hayes would be the fifth Pistons player to be sidelined due to injury during this final stretch of the season, joining Bojan Bogdanovic, Alec Burks, Jalen Duren and Isaiah Stewart.
Trail Blazers at Pistons
Tipoff: 7 p.m. Monday, Little Caesars Arena, Detroit
TV/radio: BSD/97.1
Outlook: The Trail Blazers (29-34) have beaten the Pistons (15-49) in the last six matchups between the two teams, dating back to 2020. Monday’s meeting marks the first time that former Pistons forward Jerami Grant will return to Little Caesars Arena since he was traded in the offseason. Grant exploded for 36 points to lead Portland to a 135-106 win over Detroit on Jan. 2. The Pistons will seek to end a season-long, seven-game losing streak.
mcurtis@detroitnews.com
Twitter: @MikeACurtis2