The Suns’ Miles Bridges gamble has been painted as an overpay from the moment Phoenix made the move this offseason. But there’s a version of this story where it looks a lot different: Bridges plays his best basketball, blows past expectations, and earns his first All-Star nod.
That’s the ceiling the Suns are chasing here, and it becomes a lot more believable if Phoenix really does deliver on the regular season hype. If this team is pushing for a top-four seed and finishing well above last year’s 45 wins, then more than one of its core pieces should be trending upward.
Devin Booker feels like the safest bet to bounce back and quiet the growing chatter that he’s no longer a top-20 player in the league. Dillon Brooks is the other obvious name after a huge season that helped him land an extension at exactly the right time. That leaves Bridges as the player most likely to take the biggest leap in his new setting.
He’s also the guy Phoenix just paid a steep price for, including an unprotected first in 2033 - a move that will be hard to defend when that pick finally comes due. For now, though, the Suns are betting on the present, and the present says Bridges is a prime-age talent who could fit neatly alongside Booker and Jalen Green as another high-volume scorer.
The addition of stretch five Duop Reath could be a key part of the equation too. Better spacing might be exactly what Bridges needs to unlock another level, and the path is there for him to put up more than 20 points a night and grow into a co-star role next to Booker.
An All-Star berth, though, is a different story. If Brooks couldn’t crack that stage last time, Bridges’ chances are even slimmer, especially with his off-court history hanging over him. Still, the award isn’t the only measure that matters.
The Suns have been criticized for locking into a core with a ceiling that looks stuck around the second round, all while drifting close to the dreaded second apron again. That criticism isn’t going away. But Phoenix also has a veteran group built to win, some younger players with upside, and Jordan Ott, one of the league’s better minds, running the team.
That’s why Bridges is in a spot where a real breakout isn’t just possible - it’s the best-case scenario. If everything clicks, he could produce the best season of his career and make a legitimate push toward All-Star recognition.
In Other News...
Suns May Regret The Roster Move Duop Reath Could Force
Duop Reaths training-camp invitation has put the Suns in a familiar spot, trying to squeeze one more look at a player they like into a roster that already feels crowded. With the front office managing a tight number of available spots and weighing the ripple effects of Mark Williams injury situation, Phoenix may soon have to make a corresponding move just to keep the camp setup workable.
That is where the uncomfortable part comes in for the Suns, because the path to Reath could mean parting with a player who may not be gone for good. Jamaree Bouyea or Haywood Highsmith could be the odd man out, and either one could still end up resurfacing somewhere else before potentially coming back to Phoenix later, in the same way Jordan Goodwins NBA path has looped back around. [Read more 🡒]
Suns Playoff Push Hasn't Changed One Harsh Debate About Their Future
The Suns return to the playoffs as the No. 8 seed in a 45-37 season offered a reminder that the post-Kevin Durant era has not arrived with a full teardown. Trading Durant and extending Devin Booker changed the look of the roster, but Phoenix still found enough to stay in the mix and give itself another shot in the bracket, with young pieces like Khaman Maluach adding at least a little intrigue to what comes next.
Even so, the bigger debate around the franchise is less about whether it can remain competitive and more about how long that can last. ESPNs three-year future ranking put the Suns 25th, a blunt assessment of a team facing financial pressure, a thin stockpile of draft assets and a roster that does not appear to have much room to grow without major change. [Read more 🡒]