The Phoenix Suns were supposed to be one of last season’s uplifting stories. Instead, the way it ended has left a sharper question hanging over everything they’ve done since: was bringing back almost the same group a mistake?
Phoenix’s late-season slide was hard to ignore. After February 5, the Suns went 14-17, then got swept out of the playoffs.
That’s the part that lingers, because it wasn’t just a bad bounce or one ugly week. It was a stretch that exposed a team that never really found its footing when the pressure rose.
And the offseason didn’t exactly deliver a clean reset.
The Suns actually moved away from two of their top-eight players in Grayson Allen and Royce O’Neale, but the bigger picture is that they didn’t materially raise the ceiling. Devin Booker is about to turn 30 years old, and the additions around him have been more about continuity than transformation. Dillon Brooks, Jordan Goodwin and Collin Gillespie are all back, but all three were already in the mix during that same 14-17 finish.
There’s also the Mark Williams situation, which only adds to the unease. He wasn’t available in the postseason, yet the Suns extended him anyway, and now he’s set to miss significant time with a shoulder injury.
The biggest new name is Miles Bridges, a high-level scorer who has never made an All-Star team and will want a contract extension before long.
That leaves Phoenix in a tricky spot when you stack it up against what other teams in the West are doing. The Utah Jazz, for example, are loading up on young talent and plenty of high upside. Even the Portland Trail Blazers found one of the best 15/20 players in the league in Deni Avdija, and he’s almost five years younger than Booker.
To be fair, the Suns still have veteran talent, a group of improving young players - with the sad exception of Ryan Dunn - and a settled coaching staff. That should keep them competitive. But the late-season collapse, especially while mostly healthy, is the kind of warning sign that doesn’t just disappear because the roster looks familiar.
Jalen Green only makes the conversation more complicated. He was injured for much of his first season with the franchise, but he was available during that uninspiring run, and the fit next to Booker has never looked especially smooth. In the playoffs, the Oklahoma City Thunder were able to use their size to go after Green on defense, and while Gillespie would have faced the same treatment, it wasn’t a great look for Green’s long-term case in Phoenix.
There’s still reason for fans to be optimistic about what 2026-27 could bring. But the Suns are also betting on a group that sputtered when it mattered most, and that’s the part they can’t wish away.
In Other News...
Suns Add Two Camp Wild Cards Ahead Of A Key Roster Battle
The Suns have added a pair of camp wild cards just as the calendar flips into the stretch that matters most for roster decisions. Phoenix officially signed Duop Reath and Kennedy Chandler ahead of training camp, giving the organization two more players to sort through before the competition gets real. Reath brings three NBA seasons of experience with the Portland Trail Blazers along with an international background, while Chandler arrives with two NBA seasons on his resume from stops with the Utah Jazz and Memphis Grizzlies.
With Media Day set for Monday and the preseason opener on Oct. 5, the timing suggests the Suns are pressing ahead with a roster battle that should have a few spots hanging in the balance. Reath and Chandler now get a chance to make their case in camp, and for Phoenix, the next several days will be less about filling out paperwork and more about seeing which of these additions can actually stick. [Read more 🡒]
Isaiah Stewart Footage Reignites A Debate Pistons Fans Know Too Well
Newly released footage has brought the February 2024 altercation between Isaiah Stewart and then-Suns forward Drew Eubanks back into the conversation, and it is hard to look at the sequence without thinking about how quickly a routine game can turn ugly. The video shows the moment that escalated into a punch from Stewart, leaving Eubanks with a bloody mouth and setting off the kind of aftermath that reaches well beyond the box score.
The incident already drew the leagues attention at the time, with NBA officials and Phoenix police reviewing what happened, and Stewart eventually served a three-game suspension. An assault charge was later dropped, but the Suns still issued a statement condemning the attack, which is why the fresh footage is likely to reopen an old debate for Pistons fans and anyone who remembers just how messy that night became. [Read more 🡒]
Suns Just Added To A Roster Battle Fans Need To Watch
The Suns added a little more depth to their training camp mix by officially signing Duop Reath and Kennedy Chandler, giving the roster battle another layer heading into the fall. Phoenix now has 21 players under contract for camp, with 15 guaranteed deals, three two-way contracts and three Exhibit 10 invites, so the competition for the final spots is already starting to take shape.
Chandler is the more familiar name in that group, a former first-round pick who has already logged NBA time with the Utah Jazz and Memphis Grizzlies since being selected 38th overall in the 2022 NBA Draft. For a Suns team looking to sort through options and evaluate which non-guaranteed pieces can stick, his presence makes the backcourt picture a little more interesting as camp gets underway. [Read more 🡒]