The Suns are drawing real attention in the Pacific Division futures market, and that alone makes them worth a look.
Phoenix opened the offseason projected to finish third in the division, but that’s not where the Bright Side community sees them. In the latest survey, 49% of the community picked the Suns to win the Pacific, putting them ahead of both the Lakers and the Warriors, who had better odds than Phoenix before. Those odds have since changed, and the Lakers now hold the best price to win the division, with the Suns sitting second.
That shift is exactly why the Suns feel interesting here. Division titles don’t carry the same punch they once did in the NBA, and they definitely don’t mean what they used to when it comes to playoff seeding. Still, they matter enough to show up in tiebreakers, and they matter even more if you’re the kind of fan who likes a little preseason action on futures.
The case for Phoenix starts with the Lakers, who come with plenty of uncertainty. The roster lacks continuity and has the feel of a team assembled piece by piece around Luka Doncic.
Nobody really knows yet whether it will click. On top of that, the Lakers tend to get overbet, with a fan base that can move the lines.
That opens a door for Phoenix, at least on paper. The Suns are getting enough respect to sit near the top of the board, but not so much that the price has disappeared. If you believe they can win the division, there’s room to make a play.
Of course, that belief is doing a lot of work. This is also the time of year when optimism can get out ahead of reality, and the Suns are no exception. It’s easy to talk yourself into a team in August, especially after spending too much time staring at the possibilities.
There’s some self-awareness baked into that, too. The same offseason confidence that can make a bet feel smart can also lead you straight into a bad read. The Suns are a perfect example of that danger, because the projection can look clean on paper right up until the games start.
The first chance to learn more comes on October 21, when Phoenix opens the season in Portland against the Trail Blazers.
In Other News...
Former Suns Finals Sparkplug May Be Drifting Out Of Phoenix Plans
With training camps getting closer, Cameron Payne still sits unsigned, and the former Suns sparkplug is looking at an uncertain NBA market after last playing for the Philadelphia 76ers. Phoenixs current backcourt picture makes a reunion increasingly unlikely, especially with the team choosing to evaluate younger guards and see who can carve out a larger role before the season begins.
Collin Gillespie, Jordan Goodwin and Jamaree Bouyea are all in the mix for those minutes, giving the Suns a different kind of guard competition than the one Payne would step into. For a player who once provided energy and playoff-shotmaking for Phoenix, the door does not appear completely shut around the league, but the path back to the Suns is getting harder to see. [Read more 🡒]
Luke Kennard Could Force A Real Suns Lineup Decision
Luke Kennards arrival gives the Suns something they have been short on around the edges of the roster: another shooter who can also keep the ball moving. If his passing gains carry over, he could become more than a specialist, because Phoenix has been looking for cleaner spacing and a little more playmaking to support the scoring around Jalen Green, Miles Bridges and Dillon Brooks.
The tricky part is that Kennards value may not be limited to spot minutes. His defensive limitations are still part of the equation, but the offensive fit is good enough to make the Suns think harder about how they want their best five arranged. At some point, that kind of balance can turn a bench addition into a lineup decision, and Phoenix may have to decide how much creation it wants on the floor without giving up too much defense. [Read more 🡒]
Suns Rotation Squeeze Puts Three Players In A Tough Spot
The Suns rotation picture is getting tighter, and the pressure is starting to show on a few familiar names. With new roster additions and more competition around the lineup, Ryan Dunn, Jamaree Bouyea and Jalen Green are all in line to see less floor time than they did before, which is never a comfortable place for players trying to carve out a steady role.
For Dunn, the squeeze goes beyond simply losing minutes, because his place in the long-term plan suddenly looks less secure as the season unfolds. Bouyea is expected to have a smaller part to play than he did a year ago, and Green, whose usage is already headed in the wrong direction, could wind up sliding even further down the pecking order if the minutes keep shrinking. [Read more 🡒]