The Phoenix Suns already showed last season that there’s a sturdier floor here than a lot of people expected. Even with injuries piling up, a new coaching staff, and a reshuffled starting group, they still won 45 games, grabbed a play-in spot and advanced to the first round of the playoffs.
So the idea that they’d dip to 42 wins next season feels awfully conservative.
That’s where ESPN has them, though: a projected 42-win team and eighth in the West, tucked into the same crowded play-in pack as the Los Angeles Lakers, Portland Trail Blazers and Golden State Warriors, all of whom are within ten games of one another.
“Rounding out the tier, Phoenix traded Royce O'Neale and Grayson Allen to Charlotte for Miles Bridges and signed Kennard as a free agent while retaining the core that won 45 games under first-year coach Jordan Ott,” wrote Dave McMenamin.
Phoenix may not be viewed as a true West contender, but the number still reads low for a team that believes it got better. The Suns added Koa Peat and Miles Bridges, and they think that alone improves the overall picture.
Health is a huge part of the case for a better year. Devin Booker, Jalen Green and Dillon Brooks missed a combined 94 games in 2025-26, and simply getting more time with that trio on the floor would change the feel of this team.
There’s also the growth curve of Jordan Ott. In his first season, the new coach looked like more than a placeholder after arriving as something of a surprise hire last offseason.
And the roster is clearly shifting. Phoenix was one of the NBA’s top three-point shooting teams last season, but moving on from Allen and O'Neale points to a different balance. Ott has pushed for better paint play, and the additions of Bridges and Peat fit that direction.
Then there’s the younger group. Second-year jumps from players like Rasheer Fleming and Khaman Maluach could matter a lot if they turn into real rotation pieces. If that happens, the Suns may have more room to rise than ESPN’s projection suggests.
A lot still has to break right for Phoenix to call the season a strong one. But 42 wins? That still looks like a number the Suns can beat.
In Other News...
Suns Are Still Paying For Their All In Durant Beal Gamble
Phoenixs push to go all in around Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal came with the kind of price tag that does not disappear when the games end. The Suns gave up multiple draft picks and players in separate deals for the two stars, then watched the hoped-for playoff breakthrough never arrive, leaving the franchise to sort through the basketball and financial fallout of trying to shortcut the climb.
The consequences have lingered well beyond the court, with the teams asset cupboard thinner and its flexibility tighter than before the gamble. Even now, the lingering cost of the Beal move continues to shape what Phoenix can do next, a reminder that the hardest part of a star-driven swing is often the bill that comes due after the spotlight fades. [Read more 🡒]
The Suns Are Doing One Thing NBA Fans Desperately Want
While Cleveland fans are bracing for a shift to a paid streaming setup for local broadcasts, the Suns have taken a route that still feels almost old-school in todays NBA media landscape. Phoenix moved its games to free over-the-air television, a setup that makes it easier for local viewers to find the team without adding another subscription or app to the mix.
For Suns fans, the appeal goes beyond convenience. It keeps games accessible for older viewers who may not want to wrestle with streaming platforms, and it gives the team a broader reach in its own market at a time when access has become a growing issue around the league. As more teams experiment with paywalled options, Phoenixs choice stands out as one that puts local fans first. [Read more 🡒]
Suns Camp Debate Is Already Heating Up Around This Depth Chart
Before camp even opens, the Suns are already inviting another round of roster debate by sorting their group into impact tiers and weighing who belongs where. It is the kind of preseason exercise that says as much about the shape of the team as it does about any one player, especially after a summer that brought in new faces, added draft talent and reshuffled the depth chart around the core.
The framework itself is straightforward enough, with players grouped as Cornerstones, Pillars, Wild Cards and Depth Pieces, but the real interest is in how those labels fit after last seasons rankings and the offseason movement. For Phoenix, the discussion is less about filling out a list than about figuring out which additions can rise quickly, which returning pieces can hold their ground and where the most meaningful arguments are likely to break out once camp starts. [Read more 🡒]