With the 2026–27 Phoenix Suns schedule officially released, we now have some insight into the cadence of next season. We now know how many back-to-backs exist, how long the road trips are, and when the NBA’s joke of a “rivalry week” will occur.
One of the more interesting aspects, though, is how often the Suns will appear on a national stage. That number is usually a good barometer of how the league views a team’s relevance. You want your most marketable teams and players in front of a national audience
as often as possible to maximize profits. If there’s anything we know about the NBA, and quite honestly just about anywhere you look these days, it’s that maximizing profits tends to drive the conversation. Quality be damned.
That brings us to the Suns. Phoenix was an unexpected success story last season. Granted, they faded late, lost a Play-In game, finished as the eighth seed, and were ultimately swept out of the playoffs. Still, they were entertaining. They had their own storylines, an aggressive identity, and a gritty style of play that gave people a reason to watch.
So what is their reward for all of that? Nine nationally televised games. Nine opportunities to showcase what Phoenix Suns basketball looks like in front of a national audience.
You could take that personally if you’re the Suns. You could look at it as the league not respecting what you do or how you do it. Quite honestly, though, this is exactly where I’d rather be as someone who watches Suns basketball.
It wasn’t that long ago when Phoenix had more than 30 nationally televised games and routinely embarrassed itself on the national stage. It was torture watching those KD/Booker/Beal teams drag us through uninspired moments of basketball, and it was exacerbated by the fact that it was under the bright lights.
Yes, this is a much different team. Thankfully. But the lack of national exposure also reinforces where expectations currently sit. The Suns are projected to win 38.5 games. The league and the sportsbooks don’t appear to believe Phoenix will be anywhere close to relevant. And that’s right where I like them. I’d much rather be overlooked than overhyped. I’d rather be underappreciated than overexalted.
There’s also another benefit to having 73 games that aren’t nationally televised. You know exactly where you’re going to watch them. The nationally televised games will be spread across NBC, Peacock, ESPN, and Amazon Prime. Everything else will be available on Arizona’s Family and the Suns Live app. As a consumer, I find that finding Suns games is much easier and far more predictable. Call me old school, but hopping between five different streamers is cumbersome. We don’t have to navigate the confusion the league has created as it tries to squeeze every profitable dollar possible out of each broadcast deal. From that perspective, I’ll take it as a win.
If the Suns want more national exposure, there’s a pretty simple way to get it. Earn it. Make the postseason and stick around for a while, because those games are all nationally televised.
So the Suns are only on national television nine times this season. Who cares? The team can use it as motivation, we know where to find the games, and the ones that ultimately matter most will be played in the postseason. Don’t let it get you down. Although I’m sure it didn’t.
