The Suns are heading into 2026-27 with a lot more than optimism on the table. After a bounce-back 2025-26 season that ended with Phoenix back in the playoffs, the conversation now shifts from what the team already accomplished to who has the most on the line going forward.
That question is tricky from the jump. Devin Booker and Mark Williams are not operating under the same kind of pressure, and the idea of “most to prove” means something different depending on where each player sits in his career.
Booker’s place in franchise history is secure no matter how the next chapter goes. Dillon Brooks, fresh off a brilliant first season in Phoenix, is already a fan favorite, but he still has plenty to show the rest of the league.
Jalen Green may be trying to prove to another organization that a trade for the former second overall pick would make sense for everyone involved. And with Miles Bridges, the source leaves that judgment up to the reader.
The Suns will be rolling out individual entries on that list over the next several weeks as they build toward the 2026-27 season.
One name you won’t find among the players with the most to prove is Jordan Goodwin. The point guard is in a very different spot after a stellar season and a return to Phoenix this offseason.
The Suns had moved on from him once already, then brought him back to give them a defensive-minded guard off the bench. That setup leaves him with less pressure than some of the others around him.
Goodwin doesn’t need to chase a starting job, and Collin Gillespie carries more expectation as the floor general brought back for more money. Goodwin’s place also looks safer than Jamaree Bouyea’s, while Pat Spencer, on a two-way contract, sits behind him in the depth chart as well.
There’s even a path where Goodwin surprises everyone and ends up starting by season’s end. His ability to guard bigger opponents and fit into a clearly defined bench role gives head coach Jordan Ott another useful piece for all kinds of lineups. Luke Kennard may have been the free-agent addition that turned the most heads, but Goodwin is the one who could help Ott unlock the most.
The offseason grind is almost over, and the Suns’ next chapter is starting to take shape.
In Other News...
Jordan Ott Enters A Bigger Suns Season Than Fans Wanted
Jordan Ott heads into the 2026-27 season with the kind of baseline every new coach can feel in his gut: win as much as the last Suns team did, then do more when it matters. Phoenix kept enough of its core intact to give him a real shot at building continuity, and the addition of Miles Bridges gives the roster another piece to work with as the season opens.
The challenge is the same one that hangs over every good Western Conference team. Matching the previous years 45 wins may not be enough if the Suns stumble when the games get tighter, and Otts job security will be shaped as much by postseason progress as by the regular-season record. In a conference where the margin for error is razor thin, Phoenix is asking him to turn stability into something sturdier. [Read more 🡒]
Collin Gillespie Just Gave Suns Fans A Real Year 4 Debate
Collin Gillespie spent the 2025-26 season turning himself into much more than a depth piece for the Suns, and by the end of the year he had forced his way into the conversation about what his role should be going forward. He was on the floor often, started 58 games, and delivered career highs across the board while spacing the court at a high level and giving Phoenix the kind of steady production teams notice when a guard keeps making the right plays.
For Suns fans, the interesting part now is what comes next. Gillespie is still developing and still adjusting to the demands of a bigger role, but his play helped the team post a positive net rating with him on the court, which is not the sort of footprint that goes away quietly. The question is no longer whether he can handle spot duty. It is how far Phoenix wants to push him from here. [Read more 🡒]