Bradley Beal (right) joins Kevin Durant (center) and Devin Booker as Phoenix boasts a new ‘Big 3’ for 2023-24.
Two seasons removed from a berth in the NBA Finals, the Phoenix Suns hit the reset button on the heels of consecutive second-round exits, firing coach Monty Williams and bringing aboard Frank Vogel to lead an overhauled roster. Having landed Kevin Durant last February, the Suns kicked up the team’s star power another notch in June by trading for Wizards star Bradley Beal in a deal that sent away veteran point guard Chris Paul, Landry Shamet and several future pick swaps.
All the moves set the stage for Phoenix to enter 2023-24 as legitimate championship contenders, arguably the favorites to capture the title.
What’s new?
- Averaging 22.1 points throughout his career, Beal brings real scoring punch as a third option, and although he’s a prototypical shooting guard, the veteran will shift over to point guard, a move that might require some creativity from Phoenix.
- The defensive-minded Vogel took the Los Angeles Lakers to a championship in his first season working with LeBron James and Anthony Davis. He finds himself armed similarly as Phoenix’s coach with the trio of Devin Booker, Durant and Beal in the fold.
- Durant joined the Suns last February and operated in a near state of chaos adjusting to the new squad, but enters 2023-24 coming off a full offseason, not to mention his first training camp, with the team.
How far can the Suns go?
Phoenix possesses the offensive firepower to make a title run with Durant, Booker and Beal as the top three options. That should open more opportunities for new center Jusuf Nurkic, who might be somewhat of a downgrade from Deandre Ayton. There’s some concern about the team’s depth and how Beal might fare moving over from shooting guard to point guard, but Ishbia has already demonstrated over his short tenure a willingness to do whatever is financially necessary to enhance the squad.
In fact, we all should anticipate more Suns moves in the coming months as general manager James Jones starts to determine the direction of the Suns after the early portion of the season.
1 player that must take a leap
Jusuf Nurkic. Dealing with centers in the West such as Nikola Jokic and Anthony Davis isn’t an easy task, and Phoenix made that endeavor more difficult by trading Ayton for Nurkic, who hasn’t played more than 56 games since the 2018-19 season due to various injuries. Frankly, all of Nurkic’s leg injuries over the years have adversely affected the 29-year-old’s mobility in switching and playing effective pick-and-roll defense.
Nurkic will have to supplement waning athleticism with physicality, the ability to screen and pinpoint passing — all while remaining healthy enough to be a mainstay as Phoenix targets a lengthy postseason run.
In-Season Tournament
The Phoenix Suns are in West Group A. Here’s a refresher course on how the In-Season Tournament works.
Upcoming free agents
The Phoenix Suns have 11 players that will be free agents in 2024.
- Grayson Allen
- Ish Wainright
- Chimezie Metu
- Keita Bates-Diop
- Bol Bol
- Drew Eubanks
- Jordan Goodwin
- Eric Gordon
- Damion Lee
- Josh Okogie
- Yuta Watanabe
On a one-year deal, Bol enters 2023-24 coming off career highs in nearly every statistical category last season with Orlando, and provides a long, athletic alternative to Nurkic in the post. Gordon, 34, has a player option on his deal. He gives Phoenix the instant offense off the bench it has lacked the last few seasons. Last season, he posted 12.4 ppg on 44.6% shooting overall (and 37.1% on 3-pointers). A deadly option from the corner and on catch-and-shoot 3s, Watanabe is also on a deal that contains a player option for 2024-25. Allen was acquired in the Nurkic trade and is a valuable 3-point shooter as well. He will be an unrestricted free agent next summer.
Phoenix’s full roster can be found here.
New uniforms
A new look for The Next Era ☄️
Introducing our new Nike Icon & Association Edition uniforms.@PayPal | https://t.co/3LaCqSU5ig pic.twitter.com/ngkcW7vIme
— Phoenix Suns (@Suns) August 1, 2023
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Michael C. Wright is a senior writer for NBA.com. You can e-mail him here, find his archive here and follow him on Twitter.
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