Will the Suns rise in the West?

The Phoenix Suns finished last season 49-33 and finished 6th in the Western Conference. However, Phoenix was swept in the opening round by the Minnesota Timberwolves in a dominating fashion, losing by an average of 15.5 points per game.

The Suns acquired guard Bradley Beal before the 2023 season to form a three-headed monster of Beal, Kevin Durant, and Devin Booker. These three were supposed to form a super team, but instead, the three stars only played in 41 games together. They went 26-15 in those games, a 52-win pace that would have put Phoenix in the No. 4 spot in the Western Conference. 

Kevin Durant played 75 games last season, his most since playing 78 games in 2018-2019 with the Golden State Warriors. He looked like his old self, averaging 27.1 points, 6.6 rebounds and 5.0 assists per game. Durant also averaged 26.8 points in their playoff loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Devin Booker played in 68 games in 2023-2024, and tied Durant for the team lead with an average of 27.1 points per contest. In the playoffs, Booker led the team in points averaging 27.5 points, including 49 in a game four loss to Minnesota.

Durant and Booker appeared comfortable with their roles in the offense all season long, but newcomer Bradley Beal had injury issues, only playing 53 games. Beal is used to being the main offensive weapon in his team's offense and looked out of place at times. He still averaged 18.2 points as the team’s third option, his lowest since the 2015-2016 season when he averaged 17.4 with the Wizards. 

The team’s lack of depth caught up to them at times, and it came to a head in the playoffs. Head coach Frank Vogel, who has been let go in favor of Mike Budenholzer, only had seven players in his rotation that averaged only 20 minutes per game (Durant, Booker, Beal, Jusuf Nurkic, Royce O’Neale, Grayson Allen, and Eric Gordon). 

Phoenix had no answers on offense for the Timberwolves stout defense, and they lacked the ability to stop Anthony Edwards. The Suns defense was ranked last in the playoffs, and a lot of that had to do with the depth of the team. With Durant ($47.7million), Beal ($46.7 million) and Booker ($36 million), the team does not have a lot of room for improvement.

This off-season the team has lost Drew Eubanks and Eric Gordon, while signing Mason Plumlee and guard Tyus Jones. The biggest move may have been their trading down to the No. 28 spot and obtaining the rights to Ryan Dunn of Virginia. Dunn is a defensive standout who will instantly improve the Suns defense. He will not add much on the offensive side of the ball, but with Durant, Booker and Beal, that is not needed. 

Mike Budenholzer needs to stretch the depth better than Frank Vogel did in 2023-2024. Ryan Dunn adds a shutdown defender that gives the Suns a fighting chance against a player like Anthony Edwards. And last, but certainly not least, if the big three play more than 41 games together…the Suns may rise in the west.