The Phoenix Suns added one more name to their training camp group Tuesday, bringing in forward Phillip Wheeler.
On paper, Wheeler is the kind of late camp pickup that makes sense. He’s 24, he hasn’t had a secure NBA foothold, and he brings the kind of hunger that comes with fighting for every inch. Since 2024-25, he has played only five NBA games and spent last season in the G League.
Whether that turns into anything beyond camp is another matter. Wheeler has the same basic path as Duop Reath and Kennedy Chandler, at least in theory, with a chance to compete for one of the Suns’ final 15-man spots or a two-way contract.
But that possibility feels remote. The Suns brought Wheeler in after media day, unlike Reath and Chandler, and the other two invites fit more obvious roster needs.
Reath, given Phoenix’s lack of center depth, almost has to be in the mix. Chandler gives them a more offense-oriented guard than they’ve signed much in recent years.
Wheeler’s job is more straightforward: be the body in camp, take the hits, and make life uncomfortable for Rasheer Fleming and Koa Peat every day. If that turns into something more, so much the better.
There’s also a more realistic landing spot for Wheeler if he doesn’t stick on the main roster. An outright signing with the Suns’ G League affiliate looks far more plausible than a two-way deal, and Phoenix has used the Valley Suns well in recent seasons.
That path helped Collin Gillespie, and 30-year-old veteran Spencer will try to follow it on his own way to a full-time NBA role. Wheeler could end up on that same track.
His arrival also puts a little more pressure on Ryan Dunn. The forward is heading into his third season in Phoenix and still hasn’t made the kind of jump Oso Ighodaro has shown as a fellow 2024 draft pick. Cutting Dunn loose entirely would be a big move, but the Suns keep adding players who can eat into what remains of his role, and that’s not a great sign for him.
Fleming already brings a more versatile scoring package. Peat was taken with a first-round pick, and the Suns did not move up to draft him just to leave him without a real chance to compete for minutes. And Miles Bridges’ arrival, along with his newfound defensive mentality, only makes Dunn’s situation look tougher.
For Wheeler, the opportunity is clear even if the odds aren’t. If he can push the starters every day, earn respect from the team’s cultural voices such as Dillon Brooks, and show enough to look like a useful regular-season option, Phoenix may find it harder than expected to let him go when camp ends.
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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
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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 🡒]