Suns Have A Surprising New Favorite In Their All Star Debate

Despite Devin Booker's stardom, the Suns' best All-Star hope might be a high-scoring newcomer poised for a breakout season.

The Phoenix Suns may still belong to Devin Booker in the eyes of their fans, but when it comes to next season’s All-Star race, Jalen Green is the name that stands out most.

Phoenix didn’t have a representative at last year’s NBA All-Star Game, though Dillon Brooks came close to earning the first selection of his career. That door is still open for 2026-27, especially after Brooks turned in a career year and became a bigger part of the franchise’s picture. Even so, the odds point elsewhere.

Green is the Suns player most likely to break through to the midseason showcase. Booker will always have a shot because of his profile and popularity, but Green’s case is built on something simpler: scoring. He has already averaged more than 20 points per game in two of his first five seasons, and that kind of production matters in an event that often rewards volume scorers who can light up the scoreboard.

That’s part of why Green gets the edge over Brooks, even though Brooks is the better two-way player and the Suns’ top man-to-man defender. The All-Star Game doesn’t give extra credit for defense when casual fans are voting and watching for the fireworks.

Brooks did post a career-best 20.2 points last season, and he remains the more efficient scorer of the two. Still, Green’s path is easier to imagine if he stays healthy and strings together a few big scoring nights early. At 24 and coming off being the former second overall pick, he has the kind of profile that can keep him in the conversation.

The setup in Phoenix could help him, at least in theory. Playing next to Booker, Brooks and Miles Bridges should create cleaner chances for Green to get to his spots. The Suns would also prefer that Luke Kennard doesn’t end up turning into Yuta Watanabe in the process.

Booker remains the player Suns fans would choose first, and for good reason - he is still their best player. But Green brings the kind of highlight-heavy scoring that can grab attention fast, especially if the storyline becomes a first-time selection and a redemption arc in The Valley.

That doesn’t mean the Suns are guaranteed to be better if it happens. It just means that, in the middle of the offseason, Jalen Green looks like Phoenix’s best bet to make his first All-Star Game.

In Other News...

Mark Cuban Just Raised A Bigger Mavericks Power Question

The Suns have spent plenty of time living with the consequences of trading away draft capital, so the front offices next challenge is less about splash and more about patience. Even with so many future picks already out the door, Phoenix is leaning into a long-term draft approach, hoping it can keep finding useful players late in the first round, in the second round and among undrafted free agents.

That makes the broader league conversation around team-building feel especially relevant in Phoenix, where every bit of personnel value matters. As Mark Cuban has talked about his limited role in Mavericks basketball operations, it is another reminder that ownership structure and front-office belief can shape how a franchise navigates the margins, and the Suns are clearly trying to make their margin work count. [Read more 🡒]

Lakers May Be Headed For A Suns Center Mistake All Over Again

The Lakers are carrying a full roster, but the need at center still hangs over everything they do, and that has pushed them toward familiar names like Drew Eubanks and Mason Plumlee. Both bring NBA mileage and both would fit the kind of low-cost, stopgap search a team in their cap situation has to make, but neither looks like the sort of answer that changes the conversation for a contender.

For Suns fans, the bigger takeaway is the echo of a mistake they know well. Phoenix has already seen what happens when a team leans on a center solution that looks safer on paper than it plays in practice, and the Lakers are now flirting with the same kind of gamble after last seasons Deandre Ayton move did not deliver the payoff they wanted. [Read more 🡒]