The Suns are staring at a roster squeeze, and the math is simple: if Phoenix wants to keep Duop Reath in camp, then Jamaree Bouyea or Haywood Highsmith has to go.
That’s the bind created by the Suns already carrying 15 players for next season. Reath’s arrival on a training camp invite gives the team a big man option they clearly value, but it also forces a tough decision on the back end of the roster.
The timing makes it especially awkward for anyone still invested in Khaman Maluach, since Mark Williams’ shoulder surgery pushed Phoenix into extending the invite to Reath. Still, if the Suns are serious about getting back to being competitive this season, Reath’s game is hard to ignore. He simply offers too much at center for a team that needs help there.
Highsmith appears to be the likelier odd man out. Injuries have already been part of his story, and even though he can handle duties across the forward line, Phoenix is crowded in that area with Dillon Brooks, Miles Bridges, Oso Ighodaro, Ryan Dunn, and rookie Koa Peat all in the mix.
Head Coach Jordan Ott has praised Highsmith’s defensive willingness before, and there’s a strong argument he would have seen steadier rotation minutes this season. But the roster has shifted, and Highsmith now looks like the player most likely to be sacrificed.
There is still a real case for moving on from Bouyea instead. Phoenix brought back Collin Gillespie and Jordan Goodwin, both of whom sit ahead of him on the depth chart. Pat Spencer is also there on a two-way deal and will be pushing to carve out a larger role right away.
Even so, Bouyea has his own selling points. He has shown he can share the floor with Goodwin in certain lineups, and his length matters, especially when Gillespie is targeted on defense.
He can also steer the offense for short stretches, and he’s an interesting fit next to Devin Booker in the backcourt if Jalen Green is traded later on. On top of that, Bouyea may carry more trade value than Highsmith.
In the end, Phoenix would be better off with Reath either way. If the Suns keep him, the team improves no matter which of the two gets waived, because Reath addresses the roster’s weakest spot and gives Coach Ott a 30-year-old veteran he can trust.
It’s a harsh break for both Bouyea and Highsmith. But whichever one is cut loose should get another NBA chance before long. Both have shown enough to deserve it.
In Other News...
Suns Are Being Reduced To One Prospect And That Misses The Point
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But reducing the whole thing to one prospect misses a lot of what the Suns are actually working with. Miles Bridges and Dillon Brooks bring rotation-level value, while Rasheer Fleming and Oso Ighodaro give Phoenix more future upside than the simplest version of the story allows, and the broader point is that the Suns are assembling multiple paths forward rather than leaning on a single savior. Maluach matters, but he is only one piece of a larger plan that still has room to take shape. [Read more 🡒]
Wolves Are Giving Jules Bernard Another Chance To Force The Issue
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For Stockton, it is another opportunity to keep pressing for a look at the highest level, even if the path likely runs through the affiliate first. Phoenix is one of several teams making these low-risk camp additions as roster spots and two-way lanes remain in flux, while the Timberwolves simultaneously brought in free agent guard Jules Bernard on a similar non-guaranteed deal after his previous brief stint in Minnesota never got him onto the floor. [Read more 🡒]
Suns Fans Just Got Another Reminder Of That Frank Vogel Era
Frank Vogel is back on the move, and Suns fans have another fresh reminder of how quickly the league keeps turning the page on coaching staffs. After spending the last two seasons as an assistant with the Dallas Mavericks, Vogel is heading to Golden State for the 2025-26 season, adding another familiar name to a Warriors bench that is already being reshaped as the franchise looks ahead.
For Phoenix, it is another small but notable echo of the 2023-24 season, when Vogel spent one year on the sideline before the Suns moved on. Golden States staff will lean on him in a major way as the team adjusts to future roster changes, and his next stop keeps him in the same Western Conference mix that never really lets old storylines go away. [Read more 🡒]