Rivals Review: Phoenix Suns

To get us through the late-Summer doldrums of the NBA, we’re reviewing teams from around the league and how their offseasons went. 

Phoenix Suns

Key Additions:

Mason Plumlee
Tyus Jones
Ryan Dunn
TyTy Washington
Monte Morris

Key Losses:

Eric Gordon
Drew Eubanks
Nassir Little
Isaiah Thomas

Offseason Review and 2024-25 Season Outlook:

The Phoenix Suns finished last season as the 6th seed in the West, but never really felt like a true threat in the playoffs. Kevin Durant is still amazing, but he’s older and his health hasn’t been as reliable. He played 75 games season, though, the most he’s played since his Achilles injury that cost him the 2019-20 season. Devin Booker is also still excellent, and carried a heavy burden for the Suns last year, including being tasked with ball handling responsibilities when Suns management felt they didn’t need a point guard on the roster. The problem in Phoenix has been the supporting cast, cobbled together after the Suns threw all their assets in to acquire Durant and then Bradley Beal.

And yes, let’s address that elephant in the room, that Beal trade was really bad. Beal is 31 years old, missed 29 games last season, and had his worst overall season in years. He still put up 18.2 points, 5 assists, 4.4 rebounds, and shot 43% from beyond the arc. It’s not like Beal was bad bad. But for his contract and the cost to acquire him, Beal is not the third star Phoenix expected him to be.

So despite all this, why do I think the Suns had a really great offseason? They manuevered surprisingly well despite the apron limitations they faced. They retained Royce O’Neale, acquired at last season’s trade deadline. They extended Grayson Allen who I have to acknowledge as having a great year last year, despite being one of my least favorite players in the league. And I really like the moves they made to bolster their supporting cast. Mason Plumlee is a great backup center, and is capable of starting if Jusuf Nurkic misses time (and he often does). But the biggest coup was landing Tyus Jones on a minimum deal for the season. Jones gives the Suns the point guard they were missing last year, and he’s playing to prove he deserves a significant contract next summer.

The depth and balance in Phoenix are better than last season, but this team will still ultimately depend on the health and production of Durant, Booker, and Beal. I think the Suns have one of the biggest variances of potential outcomes this year. If you tell me they miss the playoffs altogether, I’d understand how that could happen. If you told me they went on a Dallas-like run to the Finals, I’d just as easily understand how that happened. But if I had to make a prediction, I’d guess it goes mostly similar to last year. The Suns will be good but not great, they’ll end up in the playoffs somewhere in the middle of the pack, and they’ll go down in the first or maybe the second round, and then Phoenix will have to answer some difficult questions about their future.

Why We Hate Them:

Grayson Allen is the worst. Devin Booker is a whiny asshole, awesome when he’s on your team, but beyond annoying for everyone else. And their new owner seems like a tool.