The Miles Bridges deal is still hanging over the Phoenix Suns’ offseason, and it’s the move that keeps getting dragged every time the roster is graded.
Phoenix spent the summer trying to keep its own core intact, re-signing priority free agents and leaning hard into continuity. That part of the plan was straightforward enough. The part that keeps drawing the most heat is the big swing: sending Grayson Allen, Royce O'Neale and their 2033 first-round draft pick to the Charlotte Hornets for Miles Bridges.
Yahoo!'s Ben Rohrbach handed the Suns a "D" grade, and his reasoning centered on both the basketball fit and the baggage attached to the move.
"The Suns had a surprisingly successful 2025-26 campaign, securing the No. 8 seed in the West's playoffs, where they were swept by the Thunder. They did so with Dillon Brooks (who they retained on a fair three-year, $73 million extension) and Jalen Green as their second- and third-most potent scorers behind All-Star Devin Booker. It felt like an easy season from which they could build momentum.
"So, what was their big swing? Trading Grayson Allen, Royce O'Neale and their 2033 first-round draft pick to the Charlotte Hornets for … Miles Bridges, who missed the 2022-23 season upon pleading no contest to a felony domestic violence charge.
He went to Michigan State, as did Suns owner Mat Ishbia, and that seems to be a factor in the decision, which just feels weird. Bridges has yet to contribute to a playoff team.
"It is possible to like Luke Kennard as a replacement for Allen, to think Bridges is an upgrade from O'Neale and to believe in Koa Peat as a high-energy prospect, and to also not like Phoenix's offseason. The Suns traded a valuable asset - their far-out unprotected pick - for Bridges, who holds an expiring $22.8 million contract. Bizarre."
There’s no question Phoenix entered the summer with real limits. The Suns were working without much cap space, very little draft capital and a handful of pending free agents, which made a major overhaul tough to pull off.
Still, the front office did manage to make a couple of notable changes. The team took care of its internal business first, then made its two biggest moves by trading up for Peat in the 2026 draft and bringing in Bridges. Phoenix clearly wanted more production in the post, and in that sense, it got better there.
That said, the criticism around Bridges is easy to understand. On the court, the move doesn’t appear to solve the Suns’ biggest issue with size and length in the starting lineup.
And by losing Allen and O'Neale, Phoenix is also set to take a step back from three-point range. Kennard can shoot - he was one of the league’s best from deep last season - but he doesn’t bring the same volume as the multiple players the Suns sent out.
So while the "D" is a tough mark, it also doesn’t mean the Suns blew up their offseason. They may not have done enough to inspire a ton of excitement, but they also didn’t seem to make themselves substantially worse.
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Dillon Brooks has already changed the feel of the Suns roster, giving Phoenix the kind of edge and edge-of-the-seat volatility that can reshape a teams identity in a hurry. The fit has been strong enough that his arrival is being discussed in the wider NBA conversation, not just as a useful move for the Suns, but as the kind of addition other contenders can look at and wish they had made first.
For a Warriors team dealing with its own questions, Brooks has become the sort of wing presence that stands out even more in contrast to where Golden State is now. The comparison inevitably drifts toward Jimmy Butler, whose injury and contract situation have complicated the picture, and it is hard not to notice how much cleaner the Suns situation looks with Brooks in place, even if the full long-term payoff still has to play out. [Read more 🡒]
Suns Just Showed How Much Dillon Brooks Matters In Phoenix
The Suns locked in one of their most important tone-setters this week, agreeing to a three-year, $73 million extension with Dillon Brooks that keeps the forward in Phoenix through the 2029-30 season. The team confirmed the deal in a press release, and general manager Brian Gregory singled out Brooks competitiveness and the impact he has made since arriving from Houston, a sign of how quickly he has become more than just another rotation piece.
For a roster trying to build toward sustained postseason relevance, Brooks gives Phoenix the kind of edge and edge-of-the-seat presence teams tend to notice most once the games tighten up. His fit has already been clear enough for the Suns to make a fully guaranteed commitment, and the bigger question now is how much that kind of reliability will matter when the playoff stakes get higher. [Read more 🡒]