The Phoenix Suns are headed into the regular season with two starters still sitting on one year left on their deals, and neither situation sounds like an emergency.
Jalen Green and Miles Bridges have both been extension-eligible all offseason, and Phoenix has already moved to lock up other young players. The next names on the list are the two guys in the starting five.
Green feels like the more complicated case, though even that comes with a dose of patience. The Suns have put a lot on his plate this year, and that was one of the clearest themes at media day and in training camp. Green spent time working with Suns Hall of Famer Steve Nash, and Phoenix wants him to function more like the point guard while Devin Booker shifts into a more scoring-focused role.
That’s a big ask, but not an impossible one.
The raw assist numbers don’t exactly jump off the page, and the turnovers are part of that story too. Still, the Suns don’t seem to be evaluating Green’s playmaking only through assists. His ability to bend defenses by driving into the paint or running pick-and-roll actions matters just as much.
There were signs of that last season, especially when he connected with center Oso Ighodaro. Green has also taken steps in his off-ball work, including as a screener and cutter. The cleaner the fit gets there, the more his overall game can grow.
The biggest issue remains efficiency. High-volume scoring and shaky shooting is not the kind of combination Phoenix wants to live with for long, so the added playmaking responsibility may be one of the ways the team hopes to round out his impact. The Suns haven’t made any public move toward an extension yet, but if they like what they see at a steady rate, it sounds like a deal could follow.
Bridges feels a little more settled into the long-term picture. When Phoenix acquired the former Charlotte Hornets forward, there was already a sense that he could be part of the team’s future.
Majority owner Mat Ishbia spoke highly of Bridges both when the trade happened and again during media day. He was brought in with one year left on his contract, but the tone around him has been confident.
That confidence comes from what he brings to the floor. Bridges gives Phoenix a look it hasn’t had at power forward since Kevin Durant was traded: size, athleticism, underrated passing, and real scoring punch all in one package.
The question with Bridges is less about offense than defense. He’s been an average defender over his career, but head coach Jordan Ott said during media day that Bridges is part of a three-headed defensive unit.
That idea surprised some people, and it lines up with what Bridges said in training camp too. He wants the toughest defensive assignment.
Whether that holds over the long haul is something the regular season will have to answer.
For now, the Suns are not treating either extension as a crisis. It sounds more like timing than tension.
Phoenix still has to sort through the salary cap and figure out where things land with the luxury tax and the first and second apron. Those are the real moving parts here.
The extensions may come. The bigger question is when.
Right now, the Suns are focused on getting the 2026-27 season off to a strong start.
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Bookers Rough Suns Opener Already Has Fans Fired Up
The Suns did not get the kind of opening night they wanted, with Portland jumping out to a big lead after the first quarter and the early tone of the game turning chippy fast. Devin Booker was right in the middle of it, and so was Ja Morant, whose first game with the Trail Blazers after the trade from Memphis brought plenty of extra attention to a matchup that already had a lot riding on it for Phoenix.
What followed was less about rhythm and more about edge, with multiple on-court confrontations between Booker and Morant that included a physical brush and verbal back-and-forths. The situation escalated enough to bring double technical fouls, and for Suns fans trying to size up what this team looks like in a new season, the night already carried the kind of tension that can linger long after the final buzzer. [Read more 🡒]
Suns Fans Already Have A Brutal New Reason To Hate This Trade
The first night of the season did not give Suns fans much reason for optimism, and Miles Bridges only added to the unease. Acquired in a trade that cost Phoenix an unprotected first-round pick, he managed just eight points on rough shooting in the opening loss to the Portland Trail Blazers, a debut that landed far short of what the team needed from him right away.
For a franchise already under pressure to prove its roster can hold together, the problem is bigger than one bad box score. The deal not only put more attention on how the Suns are building around the current core, it also tied a valuable future draft asset to a performance that left plenty of questions hanging early. [Read more 🡒]
Suns May Be Better But The West Just Got Tougher
The Suns head into the new season with a familiar core and a few additions that should help on both ends of the floor, which gives them a reasonable case for being better than they were a year ago. Continuity matters in the NBA, especially for a team trying to stack wins in a conference where every edge can matter, and Phoenix is banking on its returning pieces settling in quickly.
The problem is the rest of the West did not sit still. Several rivals made major moves, and others are getting key players back from injury, which means the path for Phoenix could be steeper even if the roster itself is improved. For a team with bigger ambitions, the question is not only whether the Suns got better, but whether that will be enough in a conference that suddenly feels even more crowded. [Read more 🡒]