The Phoenix Suns are still trying to build around Devin Booker, and that puts a name like Ron Holland II on their radar. The Detroit Pistons forward looks like the kind of player Phoenix should at least ask about, especially with Detroit having signed Ausar Thompson to a monster extension and leaning into its own championship window.
Holland’s future in Detroit feels unsettled because his shooting has not advanced at the same pace as the rest of his game. The defense and motor are there.
The perimeter jumper, not so much. That sounds familiar for Phoenix, where Ryan Dunn is still set for one more training-camp look, even if his long-term place in The Valley appears shaky.
For a Suns team working under tight financial limits, the path forward has been clear enough: draft useful depth, add outside talent where possible, and keep hunting for distressed assets around the league. Miles Bridges gave the starting group a boost, even if the franchise paid heavily to get him. Now the Suns need more swings like that if they want to keep climbing.
That is where Holland makes sense. A deal built around landing him while moving Jalen Green would be a major win for Phoenix, though more pieces would obviously have to be included. The core of the idea is simple: the Suns get a young player with upside, while the Pistons land another scorer who fits better next to Cade Cunningham than he ever will Devin Booker.
Detroit would also have a chance to bring Holland back on a team-friendly number. His next contract is not expected to come close to what he will eventually seek, which gives the Pistons a shot at locking in a former second overall pick as a longer-term piece.
At just 21 years old, Holland also looks like the kind of player who could fit Jordan Ott’s style. A defensive-minded coach could make the most of him. Detroit, trying to chase a championship, may not have the time to develop him at the pace he needs.
Phoenix, meanwhile, has shown a preference for winning with veterans. But when a young player with real upside becomes available, that is the kind of chance teams like the Suns have to take.
If they can even turn Dunn into a second-round pick to clear room, the roster flexibility would help. The idea of Holland and Koa Peat forming the next Dillon Brooks/Miles Bridges tandem is a tempting one.
Deals like this are never easy. Teams hate the optics of moving on from a young player too soon. Still, that should not stop the Suns from testing how far the Pistons are willing to go.
In Other News...
Devin Booker Trade Talk Says Everything About The Suns Right Now
Devin Booker trade chatter tends to say as much about the Suns present situation as it does about Bookers future, and this latest round is no exception. Yossi Gozlan floated the Clippers as a possible destination down the line, pointing to their need for an older star and the kind of win-now profile that Booker would obviously fit if the conversation ever got serious.
For Phoenix, though, the more important reality is that the noise does not line up with the teams stance or its leverage. Bookers contract is a difficult one to move in the abstract, but the Suns have no real incentive to engage unless a deal truly changes their outlook, and the Clippers do not appear to have the kind of package that would push Phoenix in that direction. So while Bookers name will keep surfacing whenever star-hunting teams come up, this particular rumor feels more like a reminder of how central he remains to the franchise than a sign that anything is close. [Read more 🡒]
Devin Booker Just Got A Reminder Of How The League Sees Him
Devin Bookers place in the leagues pecking order got a small but noticeable nudge this preseason, with ESPN slotting the Suns guard 20th in its player rankings. It is the kind of reminder that can feel louder than the move itself, especially for a player who has long been judged not just on scoring, but on how he carries a team that now leans on him more heavily than it did a year ago.
Bookers profile last season came with more on his plate after the exits of Kevin Durant, Bradley Beal and Chris Paul, and ESPNs evaluation folded in both his changing responsibilities and the dip in his efficiency. There is still the familiar sense of Booker as the Suns benchmark star, but the ranking conversation also reflects the reality that the league is weighing production, context and projection all at once, leaving his standing as much a talking point as a verdict. [Read more 🡒]
Suns Training Camp Just Put Several Rotation Spots In Play
Training camp is already shaping up as a real battleground for the Suns, with several players entering the mix for rotation minutes before the season even gets going. Jalen Green is expected to have a role, but nothing about his place feels locked in yet, and Jamaree Bouyea is among the players trying to make enough noise to carve out a spot on a crowded roster.
Ryan Dunn is also in the middle of that fight, getting a chance to show what he can do as Phoenix sorts through its options. The camp competition has only become more interesting because the Suns are dealing with a fresh opening that could shift how the frontcourt is managed, and that gives Dunn a path to playing time if he can take advantage of it. [Read more 🡒]