The Suns have spent the offseason adding pieces and keeping familiar faces, but the biggest hole on the roster is still staring them in the face: they still do not have a high-level point guard next to Devin Booker.
Phoenix can at least say it brought back Collin Gillespie, a floor general who was recently described as the second-best player on the team last season relative to expectations. That matters, but the role that makes the most sense for him is as the sixth man, not as the answer to the Suns’ biggest backcourt problem.
Jordan Goodwin is back too, and he can handle the offense in short stretches. Even so, the team already moved on from him once, and there is a clear reason for that.
He is at his best when he can focus on being a defensive nuisance without also having to organize everything on offense. Jamaree Bouyea fits in a similar lane, which means he does not really change the picture either.
Pat Spencer is the wild-card addition, but as a two-way player, his impact is naturally limited. He is nowhere close to the level of point guard Booker had during Phoenix’s run to the 2021 NBA Finals with Chris Paul.
And that is the issue. The Suns still have not replaced Paul since sending him away in the Bradley Beal deal, a move the franchise is still dealing with and will keep dealing with for the rest of the decade.
There was a chance to think bigger this summer. When the Portland Trail Blazers gave up so little to get Ja Morant, he looked like a player Phoenix could have chased. His off-court issues and injury history are obvious concerns, but those kinds of questions do not seem to carry the same weight in The Valley anymore.
Owner Mat Ishbia and the front office talked about continuity before abandoning that idea to trade for Miles Bridges, who has had his own problems away from the court. Bridges is also in line for an extension, so this was never a simple cost-saving move. If anything, Morant might have been easier to sell on taking less money on his next deal.
That may be part of why the Trail Blazers made their move, especially with owner Tom Dundon now in place and not eager to spend. However it shakes out, Phoenix’s refusal to solve the point guard position leaves Booker carrying more creation responsibility than he should. That is not a formula that has produced lasting success.
In Other News...
Suns Just Showed How They Want To Build Around Booker
The Suns have been busy reinforcing the roster around Devin Booker, and their latest move says plenty about the direction they want to take. Phoenix agreed to a new deal with veteran forward Dillon Brooks, another sign the front office is leaning into continuity after adding other players on multiyear contracts and bringing in fresh talent to stabilize the group.
Brooks gives the Suns the kind of edge and experience they have clearly valued as they reshape the roster. He was already under contract for one more season, but Phoenix moved early to keep him in place for the long run, a decision that fits the teams broader push to build a more settled core around Booker rather than keep cycling through short-term fixes. [Read more 🡒]
Suns Send A Clear Message With Dillon Brooks Commitment
The Suns have spent the offseason making one thing clear: they are not treating last years roster as a temporary fix. Dillon Brooks is the latest example, with Phoenix agreeing to a three-year, $73 million extension that keeps the forward in place through the 2029-30 season. Since arriving in a trade last July, Brooks has become part of a broader push by the Suns to add stability, after he had already carved out a reputation with the Grizzlies and Rockets.
For a team that has already handed out several multi-year deals and made more roster changes this summer, the commitment to Brooks fits the pattern. Phoenix is signaling that it wants more than short-term patchwork around its core, and it is willing to pay to keep players who match that direction. The next question is how far the Suns keep going as they continue shaping the roster around those longer commitments. [Read more 🡒]
Dillon Brooks Just Reinforced The Identity These Suns Want To Be
Dillon Brooks is sticking around in Phoenix, and the Suns made sure of it by locking up the forward with a three-year, $73 million extension that runs through the 2029-30 season. The deal is fully guaranteed and has no options, a clear sign the organization values the edge, toughness and edge-of-the-seat style Brooks has brought as he headed into the final year of his previous contract.
For a team trying to define what it wants to look like moving forward, this is a fairly loud statement about identity. Brooks will earn just over $22 million in the first year of the extension, and the length of the commitment suggests the Suns see him as more than just a useful piece for the moment. They see him as part of the tone they want setting nightly. [Read more 🡒]