EXCLUSIVE

The Phoenix Suns say a team rep was NOT trying to hit on a fan's wife through email -- claiming the whole thing was a misunderstanding ... but they're giving him free tickets to smooth it over.

The whole thing started when a female Suns fan got an email from a Suns sales coordinator attempting to introduce himself ... and asking her to "lunch or dinner" to "get to know you better."

The woman's husband saw the email -- puffed his chest -- and tweeted at the team, "Hey @Suns I think your sales reps are hitting on my wife."

But the Suns say they were NOT attempting to cuckold the poor guy ... they were just trying to sell her basketball tickets.

Still, the team says they saw the man's point -- and to prove they're not trying to steal his chick, the team offered him 2 tickets to the home game of his choice.

As for the guy who wrote the email -- the rep tells us, "It's a coaching moment. He's a young, hard working kid who's only a few month out of college. The lesson is just be more clear, so there's no room for misinterpretation."