The Suns are headed into 2026-27 with a case that’s easy to see and hard to price in: continuity.
A year after a 45-win season and a playoff berth, Phoenix comes back with most of its important pieces intact in a Western Conference that looks far different from the one it just finished navigating. That alone gives the Suns a sturdier foundation than plenty of teams around them. But it does not guarantee the standings will reward them for it.
The biggest reason for optimism is that the Suns are bringing back an overwhelming majority of their key players, and they may open the season with a starting group that stays mostly intact from Game 1 through Game 82. The one lineup decision still hanging out there is at center, where the team will have to choose between Khaman Maluach and Oso Ighodaro. Jalen Green is healthy to start the year, which was not the case a season ago.
Phoenix also has a new starter at power forward, and the move is supposed to give the group a lift. Mikal Bridges is expected to take over that spot, and even with questions surrounding him off the court, he should be a clear upgrade over Royce O’Neale because of his shot creation and his experience playing next to ball-dominant guards.
The shooting should pop, too. Luke Kennard is in line to replace Grayson Allen, and he arrives after the best playoff performances of his career. He remains one of the league’s top three-point threats, so expect Phoenix to lean heavily into the long ball this season.
There’s also more stability in the supporting cast. Collin Gillespie, Dillon Brooks, Jordan Goodwin, and Oso Ighodaro are all back on new contracts.
Mark Williams is back as well, though his offseason shoulder injury is expected to keep him out for most of the season. The combination of extensions and re-signings gives the roster more continuity and gives players in the early or middle stages of their primes a better chance to keep growing off last season’s work.
That still may not be enough to move Phoenix up the standings.
The Western Conference is deeper than it was a year ago, and the Suns are not operating in a vacuum. The top eight teams all made moves to stay competitive, while the lower half of the bracket got more dangerous as well. Some teams are changing through additions, and others are simply getting healthier.
That shift matters because the old incentives that once pushed struggling teams to sink have changed. Anti-tanking rules and the strength of the 2026 draft class, which is projected to be one of the most star-studded in recent memory, have helped raise the floor across the conference. Losing big on purpose is no longer the easy path it once was, and teams have adjusted.
Utah is expected to take a leap after selecting Kansas’ Darryn Peterson second overall and trading for Jaren Jackson Jr. back in February, even with Walker Kessler now in the Lakers’ hands after free agency. Memphis should also make noise after landing what many executives believe is the most NBA-ready prospect in Cam Boozer. And Dallas, missing Kyrie Irving for all of 2025-26, should be much better with Cooper Flagg another year into his career and the franchise one season removed from the disastrous Luke Dončić trade.
So yes, the Suns might be better than they were last season. They might not suffer the kind of drop-offs that have hit other teams after a surprise year. But that still may not be enough to keep them in the playoffs, or even the play-in race.
That’s the reality of 2026-27: Phoenix can improve and still end up in a worse place. And if that feels familiar, it should. A year ago, the idea of the Suns making the playoffs felt about as likely as the Cowboys winning the Super Bowl.
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Suns Open With One Big Question About Their New Look Around Booker
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Phoenixs changes were built around that idea, from swapping out Grayson Allen and Royce ONeale to bringing in Miles Bridges and moving up in the draft for Koa Peat. Even so, the most immediate question is less about the shiny new pieces than the middle of the floor, where the Suns are still sorting out who is going to handle the starting center role while Mark Williams is sidelined. [Read more 🡒]