The Denver Nuggets’ decision to move on from Peyton Watson for a first-round pick in 2031 sent a jolt through the NBA, and it had an immediate side effect in Phoenix: the Suns suddenly looked a lot smarter without lifting a finger.
For the Suns, the deal was the kind of development that makes a front office feel better simply by comparison. Denver was forced into the move because it is in the second apron, a territory Phoenix knows well. But the Nuggets’ choice to part with Watson - one of their most versatile players - made the Suns’ own recent maneuvering look more sensible in hindsight.
That includes the Miles Bridges move, which drew plenty of criticism when it happened. From a basketball standpoint, the Suns can now point to it as a better bet than it first appeared.
Phoenix is still willing to deal away future first-round picks, including one in 2033, if it helps Devin Booker get closer to contention now. Denver, meanwhile, is banking on a pick that won’t arrive until 2031, when Nikola Jokic will be 36 years old.
The bigger picture is just as favorable for Phoenix. The Nuggets’ decision looks like one that could push them backward next season, and that opens the door for the Suns to benefit and potentially avoid the Play-In Tournament altogether. It even raises the question of whether some nationally televised games against Denver need a rethink.
Watson’s exit also serves as a reminder that Booker’s situation in Phoenix is not as bleak as it can feel from the outside. Playing somewhere else would not guarantee a cleaner path to success. Front offices around the league have made plenty of head-scratching choices lately, from the Boston Celtics trading Jaylen Brown for Paul George to James Harden once again getting paid good money to not show up in the playoffs.
And if Jokic ever decided to change course - despite saying he will never leave Denver - there is no guarantee that would lead him to a better setup than the one he has now. He could do worse than the Suns, even if he could also do better. That is where the optimism comes in with training camp right around the corner.
Booker may be entering the Damian Lillard stage of his career, but at the moment, Phoenix looks like the more appealing road than Denver. Jokic has a front office that keeps letting him down. Booker, for all the noise around the franchise, has a team still trying to find creative ways to win.
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That matters because the NBAs new anti-tanking rules leave less room for a team to drift once the season goes sideways, and the Suns do not appear built to bully opponents on the glass or in the paint for long stretches. If the outside shot is unreliable and the interior defense stays vulnerable, the progress from a year ago can disappear quickly, which is why this roster still feels like it has one unresolved problem that could define the whole season. [Read more 🡒]
Dillon Brooks Is Making Houston Regret This Suns Gamble
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Brooks, meanwhile, has turned the move into a win for Phoenix. He settled in as a productive scorer for the Suns and put together a career-best 20.2 points per game, enough to put him in line for a new three-year commitment as Houston watched its replacement plan unravel and eventually ship Finney-Smith to Charlotte. [Read more 🡒]
Khaman Maluach Is Forcing His Way Into The Suns Conversation
Khaman Maluach is heading into his second NBA season with a different kind of attention around him. After a strong Summer League showing, the Suns are looking at him as a young piece worth monitoring, and the way the roster has been shaped around him suggests there may be a real path for him to carve out a role in the rotation rather than spend time developing elsewhere.
Maluach still has work to do, though, because the next step is not just about flashes in an offseason setting. He is expected to improve statistically and stay with the big club, but the competition for minutes will be real, and the Suns will want to see steady progress before they trust him with a bigger piece of the frontcourt picture. [Read more 🡒]