Welcome to Inside the Suns, your weekly deep-down analysis of the current Phoenix Suns team. Each week, the Fantable — a round table of Bright Siders — gives their takes on the Suns’ latest issues and news.
Fantable Questions of the Week
Q1: A case can be made that the true potential for this Suns team is not known (mostly due to injuries), and making big roster changes this offseason could be a mistake. Do you agree?
GuarGuar: I agree we were so hurt during the season last year that it was hard to build a consistent system. There’s a case to be made that better health and continuity could bump us up to a top-5 seed and a potential second-round run in the playoffs. I do believe if we are healthier with this same group, we will be better than last year. I have faith in the rookies improving and a better on-court team chemistry.
Ashton: I have been leaning more and more into running it back as much as possible, but I understand the arguments for making major and minor shifts. Does anyone remember when basketball was fun? All you have to do is see the game. Not playing cap gymnastics and advanced math equations. If the owner wanted to burn a money hole in his pocket, so be it. I just want to watch the game as a fan!
But, now, I think frugality is the Suns’ best option. Stay under the repeater tax, and yes, the fans will probably not get the best product on the floor for next season. Let the MI build up for the 2028 season, where he can light his wallet on fire. I can wait.
OldAz: This sounds to me like “copium” for those that had hopes of a major makeover and then read John’s more realistic offseason article and have decided running it back is probably what will happen. On the other hand, it may very well be true. This entirely hinges on how Jalen Green and Booker finally mesh when both are playing 30 minutes a game.
We saw flashes of Green’s athleticism, and since he had no real injury concerns until last season, there is certainly reason to hope he will be more available next season, and it is certainly possible that a backcourt of Booker and Green provides a diverse enough offensive threat to take the focus off the other. It also may be more of the same from the last 3 seasons, where all the money spent on the backcourt (and extra rotation level guards on the roster) limits the options of getting longer, younger, and more athletic along the front court.
Rod: I agree to a certain point. No more wild swings at big names that could just as easily backfire as improve the team. The Suns just don’t have the assets to make a trade for a big-name player who doesn’t also come with some baggage (like Ja) or flaws of some sort that make them available at something of a bargain price. Keep the team mostly intact and give these guys at least half of the upcoming season to see how it all gels together this year before doing anything drastic.
Q2: There’s a lot of talk about the Suns possibly moving up in this year’s draft. If they do so, would you prefer they get a late 1st round pick or an early second-rounder?
GuarGuar: I know the early second would save some money compared to a late 1st but I really am indifferent as to what route they decide to take. I just hope we can continue our late draft magic and find another quality player in the back half of the draft. We don’t have many other avenues to improve the team.
Ashton: I was penning my comments on this question, and Kellan Olson dropped a very in-depth article over on Arizona Sports on this very topic. It turns out we agree, but he introduced points that I have not even considered. At the risk of plagiarizing, I wanted to highlight a few of his points that caught my attention.
- Suns can now use cash considerations because they are under the second apron to package with the 47th pick. That is about $3.5 million left to move up into the 30th range of the draft.
- What used to be a solid second-rounder pick is now a late first-rounder due to pre- and post-NIL. I particularly like this observation, as I have mentioned the same in comments.
- Picks in the early thirties have a higher chance of success in recent years to pan out.
I can’t do the article justice with just those three bullet points, but I would avoid the guaranteed money involved with a first-round pick, so I clearly side with trading up into the second round. That, and I am not sure what it would take to get a first-round pick. Perhaps the 47th and Suns-owned 2029 second-round pick? That pick is going to be valuable.
OldAz: I am far from a draft expert, so I don’t know what the incremental difference is between a player in the mid 20’s and #47, but it sure feels like the odds of NBA prospects at any draft position making it are better correlated to the organization making the pick and developing the player than it does to their draft position.
I remain hopeful that the Suns are becoming an organization that makes better picks at all spots, and then is more successful in developing (and hopefully playing) those prospects. If this becomes true, then I am not sure it matters, but if BG sees someone he wants, then I just hope the “juice is worth the squeeze” and the cost to move up makes sense.
Rod: On most occasions, I’d say that the higher the pick, the better, but maybe not this year. With the financial constraints they have to work under, a high 2nd round pick (with a lower, non-guaranteed salary) could work out best. As indications are, the Suns aren’t planning any big roster changes this offseason, so I wouldn’t want to add another player for a guaranteed salary that might mostly just occupy bench and cap space.
If there’s someone on their radar who they’re really high on and believe won’t make it to the 2nd round but is likely to be there late in the 1st, then I’d be okay with it. So far, Gregory’s been good at moving up in the draft far enough to get a player he’s wanted. If the Suns move up again this year, I’ll be good with either a late 1st or an early second, though, as I believe that the front office has gotten pretty good at planning their strategies out in advance.
Q3: The NBA Summer League is less than a month away. Maluach and Fleming aren’t just likely to play, they’re likely going to the main guys on that team. Given that role, what would you like to see from each during those games?
GuarGuar: I’d like to see Fleming be the offensive star of the team and be aggressive. He’s the biggest key to our season next year, in my opinion. We desperately need him to make a leap. For Maluach, I’m hoping to see an improvement offensively and overall, him just looking way more comfortable. I’m excited to watch them both.
Ashton: Last I checked (NBA.com), the Summer League schedule wasn’t even released yet. Plus, we have no idea which team will be drafting whom in a couple of weeks. What I want to see is good player-versus-player matchups at the C and PF positions.
So does KM get to draw Flagg, or the top two centers in the 2026 draft in Aday Mara and Jayden Quaintance? Okay, that last one was more for the ASU fans on the board. I can’t even remember the last time he played.
Does Sheer get to play against Boozer, Nate Ament, or Yaxel Lendeborg? Granted, I am naming a lot of first-year rookies, but my point is that I want to see them grow and dominate competition (if not straight up posterize them.
But also keep in mind, dear readers, that Summer League really is more about stat hogging, guard play, and less about team play that gets the ball to the bigs.
OldAz: Don’t get hurt is like 7 or 8 of the top 10 things I would like to see from them. The others include not looking overwhelmed by the pace of play, dominating other players who are not yet at the NBA level, and showing so much in a game or two that they pull them and move on. I think both showed that they are close to NBA-ready last season, so I just don’t want them hurt by some wild kid trying to go nuts and make a roster.
Rod: What I most hope to see from both of them is aggressiveness, on both ends of the court, and some leadership. For Fleming, a little over 60% of his FGAs last season were 3s. I want to see more from him on offense than camping out at the three-point line to take those shots. 27.9% of his shots were within 3 feet of the basket, but I’m hoping that he’s working on developing something of a mid-range game too. If he can become more of an all-around threat offensively, I don’t see any way Ott can keep him on the bench for more than necessary rest breaks.
For Maluach, I just want to see him more confident and decisive on both ends of the court. Per 36 minutes, he was the team’s best shot blocker last season, and I want that reputation to grow. Part of that is knowing when to go for the block and when not to do so and keep your feet on the ground. If he can master that part of the game, opponents will start thinking twice about even challenging him. I’d love to see some progress from him offensively, too, but I’d be super happy to see him someday become the next Dikembe Mutombo, wagging his finger at guys who try to slip a shot by him at the rim.
As always, many thanks to our Fantable members for all their extra effort this week!
Suns Trivia/History
On June 13, 1993, the Suns were down 0-2 to the Chicago Bulls in the NBA Finals after losing Games 1 and 2 at home in America West Arena. The series moved to Chicago Stadium, where the Suns pulled off a 129-121 triple overtime win behind Dan Majerle’s team-high 28 points, a 24-point, 19-rebound game by Charles Barkley, and a 25-point, 9-assist night by Kevin Johnson. Johnson also set a Finals record by playing 62 minutes, and teammate Dan Majerle set a mark that still stands by playing 59 minutes without committing a personal foul. This was only the 2nd time in NBA history that a Finals game went into three overtimes, the first was played in 1976 by the Suns and Celtics in the Suns’ first trip to the NBA Finals.
On June 13, 2021, with a 125-118 win, the Suns completed a 4-0 sweep of the Denver Nuggets in their Western Conference Semifinals playoff series. It was their first playoff sweep since they swept the San Antonio Spurs 4-0 in the Western Conference Semis back in 2010. It was also only the third 7-game playoff series sweep in team history. (The Suns also had 4 more first-round series sweeps, but those were back when they were still best-of-five series.)
On June 17, 1992, the Suns traded Jeff Hornacek, Andrew Lang, and Tim Perry to the Philadelphia 76ers for Charles Barkley. As stated in one article following up on that trade, “The Suns didn’t actually acquire Barkley from the Sixers, they stole him.”
Important Future Dates
Mid-June (date TBD) – Teams can begin negotiating with their own free agents (following the Finals)
June 23 – NBA Draft First Round, 8 ET (ABC/ESPN)
June 24 – NBA Draft Second Round, 8 ET (ESPN)
June 30 – Teams can begin negotiations with all free agents
July 1 – Official start of the 2026-27 league year and moratorium period
July 6 – Moratorium ends, official free agent contract signings can begin
July 9-19 – NBA 2K Summer League 2026 in Las Vegas
Late September (dates TBD) – NBA Training Camps open
