The Phoenix Suns didn’t add a true answer at point guard this offseason, and that decision is starting to look shakier by the day.
Preseason is never the cleanest place to judge a team, but the issue is obvious anyway: Phoenix doesn’t have much behind Collin Gillespie. The Suns did re-sign Gillespie, yet the rest of the depth chart is thin, with former two-way player Jamaree Bouyea and 30-year-old veteran Pat Spencer, who was signed to a two-way contract this offseason, sitting behind him. Bouyea has gotten plenty of preseason run, though Luke Duffy has already suggested head coach Jordan Ott may be leaning on him too much.
The numbers have been mixed, at best. Bouyea put up 15 points, eight assists and four rebounds in an Oct. 14 preseason loss to the San Antonio Spurs, then scored 12 points off the bench in an Oct. 16 loss to the Utah Jazz.
But the broader picture is ugly. Through five preseason games, his collective box plus/minus is -52, meaning the Suns have been outscored by 52 points while he’s on the floor.
His box plus/minus has dipped below zero in every game.
Some of that is tied to the roster around him during preseason, when Phoenix is still sorting through young players and conditioning. Still, it doesn’t exactly scream “solved.”
That’s why the Suns’ offseason path is drawing more second-guessing. Instead of making a push for a point guard, Phoenix traded for Charlotte Hornets power forward Miles Bridges, a move many pundits saw as the least popular of the offseason. To get him, the Suns sent out Grayson Allen, Royce O’Neale and an unprotected first-round draft pick.
After that, the Portland Trail Blazers swung for former Memphis Grizzlies All-Star Ja Morant.
Morant has dealt with plenty of off-court issues during his young career, but he also came into this moment needing a fresh start. Early preseason signs have been encouraging.
In Portland’s Oct. 16 preseason loss to the Golden State Warriors, he scored 19 points on 8-of-10 shooting, hit all three of his 3-point tries, and added three assists and three rebounds. The rough edges were still there too, with four turnovers and four personal fouls.
Even so, the appeal is easy to see. Phoenix could have used that kind of upside. Portland, by comparison, only gave up Jerami Grant and Kris Murray to land Morant, and even received cash considerations in the deal.
The Trail Blazers now have a crowded backcourt with Morant joining a healthy Damian Lillard, Scoot Henderson and Jrue Holiday, but the gamble has obvious buy-low potential if Morant can continue trending up.
And if he does, the Suns may look back at this offseason and wonder why they pushed their chips toward Bridges instead of taking a shot on a guard who could have helped right away.
In Other News...
Suns Could Be Walking Into A Tougher Portland Opener Than Expected
The Suns 2026-27 opener in Portland already looks like it could carry a little more bite than a typical season-opening road game. The Trail Blazers have overhauled their roster in a major way, headlined by the arrival of Ja Morant and Damian Lillards return from injury, and they now have Mike Nouri in place as their new head coach. For Phoenix, that means a first look at a team that may be trying to prove it is no longer just a rebuilding opponent.
Jeremy Brener points to a Portland group that could be dangerous offensively while still sorting out some defensive questions, which is the kind of mix that can make an opener tricky to predict. Scoot Henderson and Robert Williams III are part of the broader picture too, and with Blazers fans likely to give the building plenty of energy, the Suns may be stepping into a tougher atmosphere than the schedule line suggests. [Read more 🡒]
Suns Center Battle Just Got More Interesting With Khaman Maluach
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Jordan Ott has already made it clear Maluach is still in the mix to start on opening night, which only adds to the intrigue. He has also handled the opportunity the right way, working with Devin Booker and embracing a team-first approach as he learns the NBA game. For Phoenix, the question is no longer just whether Maluach belongs in the picture, but how far his development can push him in a crowded battle. [Read more 🡒]
Suns Roster Reality Is Getting Harder To Ignore
The Suns place in FanSideds NBA99 serves as a pretty blunt snapshot of where the roster stands right now. Devin Booker checks in at No. 16, Dillon Brooks lands at No. 92, and thats it for Phoenix on the list, a reminder that the teams current core is thin on top-end depth and even thinner when it comes to the next wave of contributors. For a franchise trying to stay competitive in a crowded West, the absence of younger names in that group matters almost as much as who did make it.
It also leaves Phoenix staring at a harder long-term question than it would like to answer. The Suns have already leaned heavily into their veteran nucleus, and with recent additions not moving the needle in these rankings, the margin for error keeps shrinking as Booker and the rest of the core get older. The draft-pick cost of past moves only makes the challenge sharper, because finding cheap young help is usually how a team buys itself a future, and the Suns do not have a lot of that inventory left. [Read more 🡒]