The Phoenix Suns are locking in on two of their young building blocks, picking up the team options for Khaman Maluach and Ryan Dunn for the 2027-28 season.
For Dunn, the move covers the fourth and final year of his rookie deal. For Maluach, it sets up the third year of his contract.
Neither decision is a shock. The Suns have made it clear these two sit near the top of their young-core list, right alongside 2026 first-round pick Koa Peat, second-year forward Rasheer Fleming and third-year big Oso Ighodaro. All three of Maluach, Dunn and Ighodaro were drafted by Phoenix, and each has already had chances to start and log real minutes at different points early in their careers.
If there’s one name drawing the loudest long-term buzz, it’s Maluach. Ighodaro has had the most run so far, starting all of the team’s playoff games and 26 regular-season games last season, but Maluach is viewed as the higher-upside bet. He and Ighodaro are battling for the starting center job while Mark Williams is sidelined for at least the first few months of the season.
Maluach made a strong summer statement, too. In Summer League, he put up 20 points and 13 rebounds per game while shooting 40% from three.
That combination is part of why many see him as a possible long-term partner next to Devin Booker in the starting lineup. He’s the lone lottery pick among the group, and his 7’1” frame, 7’7” wingspan, plus a growing comfort level from deep give him a profile Phoenix clearly believes in. Last season, he was mostly limited in minutes before finishing the year in a backup big role behind Ighodaro after Williams went down with a foot injury.
Dunn’s case is different, but the Suns are still betting on him. His sophomore season didn’t match his rookie year, with his minutes, field-goal percentage and three-point percentage all dropping. Even so, Phoenix remains committed to its 2024 first-rounder.
Dunn isn’t a high-volume three-point threat, but he brings value as a dynamic rim-runner and has already started next to Kevin Durant and Booker. He also has the size and physical tools to take on opposing teams’ top forwards. His minutes faded in the second half of last season, though he began the year in the starting lineup.
In Other News...
Suns Still Have One Big Starting Center Decision To Make
The Suns still have a starting-center call hanging over camp, with Jordan Ott saying he has not settled on whether Khaman Maluach or Oso Ighodaro will open the season in the first unit. It is the kind of decision that usually reveals a coachs early trust hierarchy, but Ott has chosen to keep it open for now, letting the competition breathe as the regular season gets closer.
Maluach has at least spent the offseason trying to speed up his own rise, working with Devin Booker as part of an effort to sharpen his game and fit more naturally into the teams future. For Phoenix, the choice is about more than one spot in the lineup, because the answer will say plenty about how quickly the Suns want to lean into their younger size up front and what sort of frontcourt identity they want to establish from the start. [Read more 🡒]
Suns Face A Tough Extension Call On Key Young Pieces
The Suns have spent much of the early season sorting through a familiar front office puzzle: which of their younger pieces deserve long-term security, and which ones should play their way into it. Dillon Brooks already has his three-year extension in hand, but Phoenix still has multiple decisions coming up on players who are either newly eligible or approaching that stage, including Miles Bridges and Torrey Green. For a roster trying to balance present expectations with future flexibility, these talks matter almost as much as what happens on the court.
Phoenix is expected to let the performances do the talking before making any real commitments, which keeps the pressure on a little longer for everyone involved. Bridges arrived in a recent trade and gives the Suns a significant name to weigh, while Ighodaro is another player the team could view as part of a cost-conscious future if the fit is right. The next stretch should clarify whether Phoenix sees this group as a core worth locking in or a collection of assets best judged one season at a time. [Read more 🡒]
Khaman Maluach Is Forcing His Way Into Phoenixs Center Battle
Khaman Maluach arrived in Las Vegas with plenty of long-term intrigue, but he left having made his case for a much more immediate role. The Suns rookie led Summer League in rebounding and earned All-Summer League Second Team honors after putting together a strong four-game run, flashing the kind of shooting touch and defensive upside that can turn a developmental project into a real roster conversation.
For Phoenix, that matters because the center picture has already been reshaped by injury, and Maluachs size and mobility give him a different kind of appeal in the battle for minutes. The front office, coaches and teammates have all praised his work ethic and growth through the offseason, and now the question is how quickly that progress translates when the Suns sort out who is ready to hold down the middle. [Read more 🡒]