JJ is no fool. Neither is Matt Ishbia. I imagine Ishbia asked JJ about any moves the Suns did in the past and how it went down to JJ. Then, I imagine he's asked others the same things. Just to get a gauge on his GM. JJ knows or should know Matt will be asking around, so he better play it straight.
I've dealt with folks from back east, and if it's one thing they hate, it's lying to them. If you ran over their cat, you better fess up. If not, you take that **** to the grave! JJ would have been gone by now if Matt didn't like his answers.