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 — give their takes on the Suns’ latest issues and news.
Fantable Questions of the Week
Q1 – Devin Booker has often stated that he wants to spend his entire career in Phoenix. Do you believe that he could change his mind and ask to be traded if this season turns out badly?
GuarGuar: For the first time in his career, it saddens me, but I’m going into this year thinking about how this legit might be Book’s last year in Phoenix. I do think he’s committed to the franchise and genuinely would love to be a Phoenix lifer. But at the same time, if this season shows little promise,
I can see him leaving next summer. Weird little nugget but his first ever game for the Suns was in 2015 at home against the Mavs. The Suns last home game this year…is against the Mavs. Praying we have a successful year that makes him want to stay beyond this season!
Ashton: When it comes to Phoenix, I never have any clue. So many professional area teams have been and then just disappear, taking the dedicated fan expectations with it. With that said, I sure am impressed with the 2025 iteration of the Phoenix Mercury and the Snakes. But both teams have had varying degrees of roster turnover of fan favorite players to begin their resurgence.
I have argued consistently that Book has an old school character that genuinely wants to be in the Valley. And that recent contract extension did not hurt. I believe he is sincere in this case.
I think the better question is if the front office cuts bait on a bad Booker season. Maybe two. But what team is going to pick up his contract? Utah would be my guess. They took the Phoenix hockey team, so they may as well gut the Sun’s leadership on the court.
And the age-old question, would Booker want to be “hair” on a season or two of futility? There is another ancient proverb, “Time and tide wait for no man”.
Ultimately, the fans should decide if it is time to separate ways with Book based on future performance for rebuilding pieces. Will this happen? Probably not. Unless they vote with their wallets.
OldAz: Prior to this last off-season I would have responded with the very rational concept that loyalty in sports is a façade. Players don’t owe anything to teams, and teams don’t owe anything to players beyond their contractual obligations. The community that supports those teams and players often are caught in the middle when they develop deep affection for a home grown player, but many fan bases will also turn on a player when they don’t live up to (often unrealistic) expectations.
However, when it comes to Booker, I would argue that the chances of him asking to be traded away from Phoenix are as low as they have ever been. My reasoning has to do with the Dame Lillard saga from last season. Dame had been happy playing in Portland, and their efforts over many years to get better and compete were satisfactory to him and his family. Then, last off season after whatever role he played in getting traded to a supposed contender he found out that the grass is not always greener elsewhere and made his way back to Portland. Book may not have the wife and kids that anchored Dame and ultimately returned him to Portland, but he does have very strong ties to the community, and I believe feedback from a peer like Dame will resonate with him that competing in a place you love, that also loves you, is a huge part of his individual satisfaction.
I could be 100% wrong, but I now think it would take a lot to get Book to ask out of this organization.
Rod: Possibly, but I think it depends on why the season turns out badly. If the effort and team chemistry are there but the talent is just not quite enough, I don’t think he asks out…at least not after this season. It also probably depends on his relationship with Ott and whether he trusts him to run the team going forward. And of course, we all have our definitions of what a bad season for the Suns would be but that doesn’t mean our definitions are the same as Book’s.
If the team plays well enough this season for him to see some light at the end of the tunnel – and that light doesn’t seem too far away – I don’t believe moving on will be something that he considers. I’m sure that he loves Phoenix but I’m also sure that he also loves winning and moving on might eventually become a real possibility if he doesn’t foresee much winning in the Suns’ future.
Q2 – The Suns have until Oct. 20 to sign Mark Williams to a contract extension.
Considering his injury history, should they offer him an extension now or wait until he’s a restricted free agent next summer and deal with a possible new contract then?
GuarGuar: I’d probably wait until the summer to extend him. Let’s see how he fits with this group and if he can play 65+ games at a high level this season. The last thing we need to do is offer him a huge bag and then regret it by December. We should learn from the Beal contract that we do not want to be held down by awful contracts.
Ashton: No.
That is a short timeline with just pre-season games to show for it.
I think I speak for most posters that you must see the results on the court. I have read so many countless articles on sports players that want to get paid and then start off injured. No way, no how, I am looking at the money until the results are in.
If MW can stay on the court and prove his worth in the post position, sure, pay the man. Let the RFA market dictate his worth. If he can’t stay on the court or injuries hamper his production, then it’s on to the next one.
This is a situation where I would not be hasty.
OldAz: This totally depends on what Mark Williams (or his agent) is looking for. I always believe signing a player early is the right move, as long as that player is not seeking the upper limits on what they “could” receive later on, after they have proven themselves. In this case, if Williams is happy to take a fair deal in exchange for long term security then that contract will continue to be a fair value even if his injury history of playing around 60 game a season persist.
However, if he ends up proving to be healthy then it would likely be a really good bargain for the Suns. However, if he will only sign now for the full amount he expects to get next off-season, after he has proven he can play a full season and be effective, then they might as well make him prove it before signing that contract. This answer entirely depends on what Williams is willing to accept and how much he values that long term security.
Rod: I’m glad I’m not the one making this decision. With his injury history, I really wouldn’t want to offer him a high-dollar extension that a starting NBA center should receive because the Suns could be saddled long term with another expensive contract for a player who doesn’t actually play a lot. But if you wait until next summer when he’s a restricted free agent, he may have a very good, relatively injury free season, earn an even bigger contract than he might settle for now and then possibly return to being an injury problem player after that.
Either way, it could turn out badly for Phoenix. A possible compromise could be offering him a fairly mediocre extension now but with healthy bonuses he can earn if he remains healthy and plays a certain number of games each season. That I wouldn’t be unhappy with…and there’s always the potential for renegotiating contracts to increase (but not decrease) a player’s salary at a later point in time if both parties agree to it.
Q3 – Although he isn’t a great 3-point shoooter, Suns’ 7’2″ rookie Khaman Maluach is the only center on the team with real potential to hit shots from 3-point range (23.1% in Summer League, 25.0% in college).
What are your thoughts on him possibly getting some playing time at power forward if the Suns were to go with a “twin towers” lineup?
GuarGuar: I think Oso is way more likely to be used as a PF this year…but I don’t hate the idea of trying Maluach at some point either. His jumper does not look bad from a mechanics standpoint. He does lack touch around the rim so him becoming some deadeye or competent shooter also seems like a big stretch. But who knows he’s super young! Defensively though, him at the 4 would be a massive plus.
Ashton: I am in. But for different reasons. I actually would not mind a twin tower line-up which means I have probably showed my age on this question
Those stats are ugly AF. What is up with having to be a good center to shoot threes as an NBA standard? Sure, there was a time when we all laughed at DA attempting a three and working on his perimeter game in the off-season. But we all saw how that turned out. He was just constantly used to set screens and really never perfected his perimeter shooting craft.
KM is not going to shoot three pointers unless the coach gives him leeway to do it. In which case, that is bad coaching.
I would rather see more protection at the rim, the pick and pop, or the pick and roll. Having twin towers close out on a three-point shooter would be endlessly entertaining, but the three-point game is broken for most teams, despite all the hype. No need to defensively waste their time.
Also let the guards and shooting forwards set the defensive pick. Not the big men manning the post and preventing the middy.
OldAz: I have never been a big fan of the modern NBA will all the bigs firing away from 3. There is a certain freak of nature in Denver that is an exception, but otherwise I prefer bigs that actually play “big”. Additionally, there is way more to being an effective power forward than hitting from 3, otherwise Bol Bol would not still be looking for a place to play in the NBA. I really want to see Maluach develop his defense and rebounding to an insane level. He certainly has skill on offense, and part of that is his outside shooting ability and willingness to take those shots.
However, 3 years from now the team will be far better off with him being a defensive and rebounding monster who can simply make the shots he is given on offense (with high efficiency) than being a player like KAT that can hit 3s, but is widely disrespected as a defender and rebounder. This doesn’t really answer the question about playing time at PF, as those minutes can also be used to develop his defensive skills. On that question I want the Suns to recognize how raw he is as a player and execute a developmental plan that emphasizes quality over quantity in his skill development. Get him to dominate the boards and anchor the defense consistently before trying to expand his world to the point that he does a lot of different things kinda well.
Rod: I wouldn’t mind them giving it a shot, just not early on in the season or in a tight game situation. Seeing him and Williams paired together as the Suns frontcourt could have advantages at times but Maluach needs to start hitting those threes more consistently and needs some NBA adjustment time first. For the time being, I’d like him to stick to learning how to be an NBA center and not overload him with trying to learn two positions before he’s comfortable playing at one.
As always, many thanks to our Fantable members for all their extra effort this week!
Suns Trivia/History
On September 9, 1965, 3-time NBA All-Star Dan Majerle was born in Traverse City, Michigan. The Suns selected Majerle with the 14th pick of the 1988 NBA draft but not with their own pick (7th) which was used to select power forward Tim Perry. The pick used to draft Majerle was acquired along with Kevin Johnson in the trade with the Cleveland Cavaliers for Larry Nance Sr. at midseason of that year.
On September 11, 1984, the Phoenix Suns won the 1984 Italian Open with a 148-121 victory over the New Jersey Nets in Milan, Italy, behind Rod Foster’s 25 points and Walter Davis’ 24. The Suns finished 4-0 in the tourney.
On September 12, 2005, the Suns signed former Arizona State University star shooting guard Eddie House to a one-year deal. House didn’t disappoint, appearing in 81 games off the bench he averaged 9.8 points per game and 38.9% from beyond the arc in 17.5 minutes per game. The Suns would finish the 2005-06 season with a 54-28 record and make it to the Western Conference finals before finally being sent home by Dallas 2-4.
Pac-12 Throwback: ASU’s Eddie House drops 61 points on Cal in 2000
On September 13, 1978, Curtis Perry, a major figure in the Suns’ NBA Finals run in 1975-76, retired after four seasons in the Valley. Perry set career-highs during the 1974-75 season of 13.4 points and 11.9 rebounds per game. His 11.9 rpg that season is the 5th highest single season rebounding average in Suns history and his career average of 9.49 rpg for the Suns is 8th on the Suns’ All-Time leaders list.
Last Week’s Poll Results
Last week’s question was, “Do you believe Suns rookie center Khaman Maluach is ready for steady rotation minutes?“
26.8% – Yes
73.2% – No
A total of 112 votes were cast.
Important Future Dates
Sept. 13 – Valley Suns Open Tryouts @ ASU Sun Devil Fitness Complex in Tempe (9 am-12:30 pm)
Sept. 23 – Media day
Sept. 24 – Training Camp opens
Oct. 3 – Preseason game vs LA Lakers @ Palm Desert, CA
Oct. 10 – Preseason game vs Brooklyn Nets (China)
Oct. 12 – Preseason game vs Brooklyn Nets (China)
Oct. 14 – Preseason game vs LA Lakers @ Phoenix, AZ
Oct. 20 – Rosters set for NBA Opening Day (5 p.m. ET)
Oct. 21 – Regular Season Begins
Oct. 25 – 2025 NBA G League Draft (1 p.m. ET)
Oct. 27 – Nov. 6 – NBA G League Training Camps open
Nov. 6 – Rosters set for NBA G League Opening Day (5 p.m. ET)
Nov. 7 – NBA G League Tip-Off Tournament begins
Jan. 5 – 10-day contracts may now be signed
Jan. 10 – All NBA contracts are guaranteed for the remainder of the season
Feb. 5 – Trade deadline (3:00 pm ET)
Feb. 13-15 – 2026 NBA All-Star weekend in Los Angeles, CA
This week’s poll is…
