The Phoenix Suns already built one Finals team around Devin Booker back in 2021. Chris Paul was next to him in the backcourt, Mikal Bridges and Cam Johnson on the wings, Deandre Ayton looked like a budding star, and Cam Johnson and Cam Payne brought the energy, shooting, and defense off the bench. They’re looking to build another.
That Suns team is a distant memory, and team building is drastically different from what it was five years ago when Phoenix was just two games from hoisting the franchise’s
first Larry O’Brien trophy.
Game 1 of the NBA finals was a reminder of this reality. Whether Mat Ishbia and Brian Gregory’s plan is for Booker to be the team’s best player for the future or to pair him with someone better, Phoenix needs to start building like the Spurs and Knicks have. There is more to a team than its best players.
There OBVIOUSLY is no Victor Wembanyama (they already tried that with Bol Bol, haha) walking through the door, but both teams have created rosters around their best players not just by strong drafting, but with strong asset management, being financially responsible, and focusing on player development.
As New York continued to demonstrate to the league that they were a formidable opponent, back in 2023, the Knicks traded RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley for OG Anunoby. If New York had jumped on offers to send either of them to the Jazz more than a year earlier for Donovan Mitchell, it would’ve been much harder for them to acquire the all-defensive guard. Months before the trade, New York had the opportunity to extend Quickley before the season and did not. If they did, it would have changed the financials of the trade and made it harder to acquire Anunoby
Signings like Landry Shamet and Julian Champagnie have given both teams not only shooting, but also another player whom they can rely on off the bench that provides spacing for the team’s ball handlers. Development projects Keldon Johnson and Deuce McBride are examples of how San Antonio and New York can help non-lottery draft picks progress into key pieces. Johnson just won Sixth Man of the Year this season, and McBride shot over 40% from three this year.
This is not to say the Suns have not made drastic improvements since they traded Kevin Durant and bought out Bradley Beal. Collin Gillespie’s development is an example of how the team can develop young players into strong contributors. Dillon Brooks could be the team’s version of Anunoby with his defensive tenacity and improved scoring, but the Suns are nowhere near either of the NBA’s finalists, despite the fact that they went 4-2 against both of them in the regular season.
Down the stretch of the year, the team showed its lack of athleticism, depth, and offensive punch. They went 6-10 in their final ten games as they hobbled into the playoffs.
The West looks to be even better and deeper next season. Not only will the Thunder and Spurs both be back and be a year more experienced, the Rockets’ young players will be even better, Cooper Flagg will be a year better and even the Jazz, after years of being at the bottom of the standings, could be a formidable opponent next season after acquiring former Defensive Player of the Year Jaren Jackson Jr. and adding whoever they select with the second pick in this month’s draft.
Whether it’s acquiring more assets or staying patient, Phoenix can take a page out of San Antonio and New York’s playbooks on how to build an elite roster around its top-end talent.
