Ryan Dunn spent the first day of Phoenix Suns training camp making a point without saying much at all.
As practice wound down and media availability dragged on, the third-year forward was still on the floor, getting up 3-point attempts while the rest of the scene emptied out. It was a small moment, but the message was clear: he’s not planning to hand over his roster spot in The Valley without making people work for it.
The biggest issue with Dunn’s game has been the same one for a while - he hasn’t been able to bring enough offense on a night-to-night basis. The expectation that he might become this team’s version of Mikal Bridges never really matched where his game was, and that’s left his fit a little shaky.
When the jumper goes in, though, everything changes. The floor opens up.
He looks more confident. Even his defense seems to sharpen, and that’s the side of the ball where he’s always been most at home.
That defensive value still matters. Dunn is the kind of player Jordan Ott should like on paper: long, disruptive, and capable of taking on elite scorers. But with the Suns trying to stay as competitive as possible, he also looks like one of the players who could feel the squeeze the most.
Nothing is guaranteed here, either. A waiver is not off the table.
Still, Dunn has tools the players chasing minutes behind him don’t have. Rasheer Fleming may have the higher ceiling and is already the better scorer, but he doesn’t defend across five positions the way Dunn has for the last two seasons.
Koa Peat, the incoming rookie, brings energy and presence around the paint, but perimeter defense at Dunn’s level is a different matter entirely. Even Dillon Brooks and Miles Bridges, the starting duo and clearly superior players, bring very different skill sets than the 23-year-old.
The Suns also added forward Phillip Wheeler on that first day back together, the final training camp move revealed as the team officially reconvened. Wheeler is unlikely to last in Phoenix, but his presence gives Dunn another body to go at in practice - another chance to show the staff there are levels to this thing.
For now, staying on the court while the cameras were still around was its own kind of statement. Dunn looked like a player reminding everyone he’s still one of the team’s 15 and not going anywhere quietly. If the shot ever becomes consistent, the conversation around his place with a playoff-chasing Suns group could change fast.
In Other News...
Rasheer Fleming Is Giving The Suns A Reason To Believe
Rasheer Fleming is starting to look like one of those prospects who earns his keep the old-fashioned way, by showing up, putting in the work and letting his body and tools do the talking. For the Suns, that matters. Head coach Jordan Ott and teammates have taken notice of the second-year forwards physical gifts and the steady growth that has followed, and there is a growing sense that Phoenix may have something worth developing for the 2026-27 season.
Flemings path only adds to the appeal. He was not a heavily recruited high school player, which makes his rise feel less like a sure thing and more like a player who has had to build his way into the conversation. His ceiling is still hard to pin down, but the Suns have reason to believe he can grow into a useful rotational piece if the development keeps trending in the right direction. [Read more 🡒]
Suns Are Asking Khaman Maluach For More Than They Wanted
With limited future assets and a mandate to stay competitive around Devin Booker, the Suns are treating Khaman Maluach less like a slow-burn project and more like a player they may need sooner than planned. The second-year center logged only limited minutes as a rookie, but his Summer League showing offered enough promise to keep him in the middle of the conversation as Phoenix maps out its frontcourt plans.
Booker has already been supportive of Maluachs development, and the Suns appear willing to bet on the young big man in a larger role if he can handle it. The question now is whether Maluach can absorb everything that comes with starting on a team trying to win right away, because Phoenix does not have much margin for error if he is not ready. [Read more 🡒]
Suns Should Avoid One Backcourt Mistake Around Devin Booker
Training camp has already nudged the Suns point guard picture into focus, and the front office has at least added another name to the mix with Kennedy Chandler on a training camp deal. Around Devin Booker, Phoenix is trying to sort through a backcourt that still needs to make sense on the fly, with the roster carrying more questions about fit than certainty as the season approaches.
Rob Dillingham has been floated as a possible answer in some circles, but the more practical path for Phoenix appears to be staying with the guards already in the building and avoiding a move that does not clearly raise the level of the group. Jordan Goodwin fits that conversation better, while Collin Gillespie remains part of the backup mix, and the Suns can only benefit if the next decision is about clarity rather than chasing another name that complicates the rotation. [Read more 🡒]