The Suns’ lineup picture is starting to come into focus, and the biggest question may not be who opens games - it’s who finishes them.
Devin Booker and will anchor the starting backcourt, with Dillon Brooks and summer pickup Miles Bridges on the wings and Mark Williams at center. That five looks set as the first unit, but whether it should also be the group closing tight games is where things get interesting.
Phoenix went 13-17 last season in games decided by six points or fewer, and Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic dug into the crunch-time problem. Among Suns players who logged at least 20 minutes per game, Collin Gillespie was the only one to finish with a positive plus/minus in the fourth quarter, at 0.1. Rankin sees Gillespie and another offseason addition, Luke Kennard, as options for late-game minutes alongside the projected starters.
Brooks’ new deal only adds to the sense that Phoenix is betting on familiarity. He signed a three-year, $73 million extension on Saturday, and Kelly Iko of Yahoo Sports framed it as another sign the front office is leaning into continuity.
The Suns also brought back Gillespie, Williams and Jordan Goodwin on what Iko described as reasonable deals. If Brooks and Green can stay healthy this season, that approach could pay off; Iko also noted that Brooks, Green and Booker played fewer than 150 minutes together last year, yet Phoenix still won 45 games.
The path to 50 wins, though, still runs through a few specific swing points. Rankin pointed to a healthy Green and Kennard’s shooting from deep as major factors. The Suns will also need one of their young bigs - Khaman Maluach, Rasheer Fleming or Koa Peat - to give them real production, while Ryan Dunn and Oso Ighodaro are expected to make meaningful third-year jumps.
One preseason wrinkle: the Suns won’t face the Lakers this year after doing so in each of the past three preseasons at Acrisure Arena in Palm Desert, California. The matchup could return there in 2027. “This year, it was a scheduling issue just based on Lakers’ preseason commitments,” said John Page, senior vice president of Acrisure Arena.
In Other News...
Devin Bookers New Nike Drop Feels Bigger Than Just Sneakers
Devin Bookers latest Nike collaboration is tapping into something bigger than basketball style. The Suns guard has helped create the Nike Book 2, a four-sneaker collection inspired by his personal collection of vintage Chevrolet Impalas, bringing mid-century car culture into a signature shoe line that feels closely tied to his own taste.
The first pair, Pretty Penny, draws from his 1959 Chevrolet Impala convertible and is set to debut in Detroit on Aug. 15 during the Woodward Dream Cruise before arriving globally on Aug. 26. Nike has built the project around the details and design language of Chevrolets era, and the rollout is only getting started, with three more releases scheduled for December 2026. [Read more 🡒]
Devin Booker Has Become The Suns Question Phoenix Cant Ignore
Devin Booker has become the kind of franchise centerpiece every front office hopes to build around, but also the kind of star whose future starts to get discussed whenever a team keeps running into the same postseason wall. Booker is getting closer to 30, the Suns have not given him a long stretch of playoff certainty, and the broader conversation around the league keeps circling back to what happens when a player of his caliber spends enough time waiting for the next step that never quite arrives.
Phoenix does not have any public sign that Booker is looking elsewhere, and he has not said anything to suggest a change is coming. Still, the comparison that hangs over this situation is hard to miss, because teams that fall short enough times can eventually force even the most loyal star to weigh his options, and the Suns know that kind of uncertainty is not the sort of backdrop they can ignore for long. [Read more 🡒]
Suns Face A Point Guard Dilemma That Could Shape Bookers Future
Phoenix has been linked to the idea of adding a high-end point guard, and DeAaron Fox naturally sits near the top of that conversation. He has the kind of speed and shot creation that can change an offense, but any serious pursuit comes with a steep price and the kind of long-term commitment that can limit what the Suns do next. For a team trying to keep its options open around Devin Booker, that matters as much as the name value attached to the target.
The caution here is less about Foxs talent than about the path it would take to get him. The Suns would have to think hard before moving key pieces, especially if the deal forced them to part with one of their core wings and another major asset. That is why the internal alternative also deserves attention, with Jordan Goodwin at least offering a possible stopgap if Phoenix decides the smarter play is to preserve flexibility and wait for the right point guard opportunity. [Read more 🡒]