The Suns may not have fixed their point guard problem, but they at least dodged one headache.
Phoenix has been hearing the noise around its own locker room, with leaks indicating frustration over the lack of a true floor general to run the offense. Ja Morant looked like the kind of name that could have solved part of that issue, and he would have made sense as a target this offseason. But his latest injury is exactly why the Suns can feel better about not jumping in.
According to Shams Charania of ESPN, Morant is expected to miss at least four weeks with a hamstring strain. Charania reported that the Portland Trail Blazers' Ja Morant has sustained a Grade 2 left hamstring strain and will miss at least four weeks, sources tell ESPN. pic.twitter.com/1XHMXZkTSX
If that had happened in Phoenix, the fallout would be immediate. Morant would have been sitting now, and the Suns would be left dealing with the kind of short-term disaster that can swallow a season.
There’s no guarantee the fit would have worked anyway, even with Miles Bridges in the mix, and there’s certainly no promise that Morant would have made Phoenix better on defense. Right now, the Suns already sit at the bottom of the league defensively.
The price would have been steep too. Phoenix likely would have had to send out Jalen Green to get Morant, and while Head Coach Jordan Ott sticking with Green as a lead playmaker is the wrong call, Green still brings serious scoring punch as a former second overall pick. Without Morant for at least a month, the Suns backcourt would have been forced into a Devin Booker and Collin Gillespie pairing.
On paper, that sounds like the kind of setup Suns fans have been asking for. In reality, it would likely have come with plenty of problems on the other end.
Add Bridges to that starting group, and the defensive issues could get ugly fast. With Oso Ighodaro also out and Khaman Maluach still working through a brutal learning curve, Phoenix would be in an even deeper hole.
That’s the larger issue here: the Suns still need a guard who can change the direction of this team. Morant fits the description in talent and buzz, but he also comes with real risk. He hasn’t played 10 or more games in a row since 2023, which is the kind of detail that matters when a team is trying to stabilize itself.
Dejounte Murray, for now, looks like the imperfect alternative. The fact that he plays for the New Orleans Pelicans and a front office that has made baffling decisions could give Phoenix a shot at landing him at a lower cost.
Morant would have been the loud, exciting swing. This injury serves as a reminder that sometimes the move you don’t make is the one that helps you most.
In Other News...
Suns Enter Nuggets Matchup With A Problem Fans Can Feel
The Suns head into their matchup with Denver carrying a roster issue that has been hard to ignore, and it is the kind of problem fans can spot even before tipoff. NBA insider Chris Haynes reported internal frustration over the lack of a true point guard, a concern that has hovered around the team as it tries to find a steadier rhythm on offense.
Phoenix will also have to manage that issue while dealing with another absence, with starting center Mark Williams sidelined. Denver brings its own injury questions into the game, listing two players as questionable and two out, and the Nuggets have a little extra incentive with a chance to move their record above .500. [Read more 🡒]
Suns Already Have A Defensive Problem They Can't Ignore
The early returns on defense have been rough enough to demand attention, and the Suns have spent recent practices trying to clean up the issues before they harden into a bigger problem. Through the first three games of the season, Phoenix has sat last in defensive rating and has allowed opponents to shoot the highest three-point percentage in the league, a troubling start for a team that knows it cannot afford to give away easy looks.
Jordan Ott and the players have made the focus clear: better effort, sharper communication and more physical play on that end of the floor. Dillon Brooks, Miles Bridges and Khaman Maluach have all acknowledged the need for improvement, and the timing matters with the Denver Nuggets up next, a matchup that will quickly show whether the Suns' defensive emphasis is starting to stick. [Read more 🡒]
Suns Have Reached A Devin Booker Debate Fans Dread
The Suns have reached the kind of uneasy place where even a star like Devin Booker can become part of the conversation around what comes next. With the team struggling and the locker room already described as unsettled, the noise around Phoenix has grown loud enough that outside voices are now floating ideas that would have sounded unthinkable not long ago. One of those came from Bill Simmons, who suggested on his podcast that a Booker-for-Bam Adebayo swap could help both Phoenix and Miami.
It is the sort of debate Suns fans dread because it forces a hard look at where the franchise stands right now and what kind of reset might actually make sense. Booker remains the face of the team, but the broader question is whether Phoenix can keep building around him as constructed, or whether the pressure around the roster has reached a point where even a player of his stature gets dragged into trade speculation. For now, there is no official move or confirmation, just a conversation that says plenty about how far the Suns have fallen into uncertainty. [Read more 🡒]