The Phoenix Suns have landed in an ugly spot on Sam Quinn’s list of NBA front offices, and the criticism fits. CBS Sports put Phoenix fourth-worst in the league, and the biggest reason is hard to miss: the Suns keep living like tomorrow is somebody else’s problem.
That short-term mindset starts with draft capital. Phoenix has been eager to move future picks whenever it can, and the team still doesn’t control all of its own selections after spending time in the second apron when Kevin Durant was in town. One of the clearest examples is the unprotected first in 2033 that went out in the package for Miles Bridges, a move that looks especially thin when you remember Booker will be 36 then, if he is even still in Phoenix.
To the Suns’ credit, the front office has at least shown it can pivot. Moving on from Durant and Bradley Beal was something nobody else seemed to think was realistic, and Phoenix has managed to reshape things from there.
Booker, Bridges, and Dillon Brooks give the team a workable starting point. The issue is that this group was assembled to win immediately, and it still doesn’t stack up with the top contenders.
What makes the front office critique sting a little more is that Phoenix has quietly gotten better at drafting. The Toumani Camara debacle still hangs around, but the Suns have also found Oso Ighodaro and Rasheer Fleming in the second round, and they added Koa Peat, who looks like he will help right away. They also pulled the 10th overall pick in 2025, Khaman Maluach, from the Houston Rockets, another smart bit of business.
The problem is that all of those hits are happening in a system that keeps running out of room. Phoenix has shown a real knack for finding value around the edges, but it has been forced to do it because the bigger picture is so cramped.
That’s where players like Collin Gillespie, Jordan Goodwin, Jamaree Bouyea, Pat Spencer, and Haywood Highsmith come in. Gillespie, in particular, has become the standard-bearer after his two-way run, while Highsmith is described as the most underrated player on the roster.
Those kinds of finds matter. They help keep the Suns competitive.
But they would mean a lot more if Phoenix were better positioned to win right now and still had more of its own future picks in hand. That is the ideal setup for building around Booker, and it’s the piece the Suns still don’t have.
At this point, the only obvious way to restock the pick cupboard is to trade Booker. Owner Mat Ishbia has made it clear that won’t happen on his watch. So the Suns are left with the same problem Quinn identified: a front office that can find useful players, but has boxed itself into a corner by refusing to plan beyond the next move.
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 🡒]