The Suns spent the offseason adding pieces with one goal in mind: winning more games now. That kind of roster churn always comes with a cost, and for Phoenix, the squeeze is about to hit the minutes column for a few familiar names.
Ryan Dunn looks like the clearest casualty. With Bridges now in the mix and pursuing an extension from the franchise, Dunn is no longer just fighting for time against established veterans.
He’s also got young competition breathing down his neck in Rasheer Fleming and Koa Peat. The problem for Dunn is simple: the players ahead of him have already shown they can help Phoenix win, and the ones coming up behind him have already been more consistent, especially on offense.
The expectation here is that he’s gone by the deadline.
Jamaree Bouyea is in a different spot, but the outcome is still the same: fewer minutes. The Suns surprised some people by bringing him back this summer, and he proved useful for Coach Jordan Ott in his maiden campaign.
Bouyea can defend multiple positions, he’s willing to do it, and he’s a real point guard. That matters on a roster that needs every possible floor general to make Devin Booker’s job easier.
Even so, Collin Gillespie and Jordan Goodwin are back and sit ahead of him on the depth chart. Luke Kennard is also expected to take some of those minutes, while Pat Spencer is waiting on a two-way deal and looking to make his case.
Bouyea still has a role, but it won’t be as large as it was last season.
Then there’s Jalen Green, who enters the season as the biggest loser of the bunch. The Suns’ starting five has fit problems, usage issues, and spacing concerns, and Green is the one who could end up taking the hit when those issues show up early.
He’s also got Gillespie and Goodwin pressing for his spot, and both are cleaner fits next to Booker. Green, by contrast, pulls the ball out of the franchise cornerstone’s hands while hunting his own shot.
At some point, a move to the bench could even become the best answer. His 25.9 minutes per game last season were already a career low, though that came in only 32 games because of injury.
This time, the drop in playing time won’t be about the training room.
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 Front Office Faces Growing Heat Over Devin Booker Plan
The Suns keep living in the present, and that approach has become a defining part of how the franchise is viewed around the league. Sam Quinn of CBS Sports recently pointed to the organizations thin long-range planning and its habit of moving draft capital as reasons Phoenix has made itself harder to sustain over time, even while trying to stay competitive around Devin Booker, Miles Bridges and Dillon Brooks.
There have been bright spots, including some solid drafting and a few useful finds among lesser-known players, but the bigger concern is how little flexibility remains if the team needs to pivot. Phoenix has already pushed a lot of its future assets into the now, and the bill on that strategy is still waiting down the road. [Read more 🡒]