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: Four players (Grayson Allen, Royce O’Neale, Amir Coffey, Isaiah Livers) who finished the 2025-26 season with the Suns will not be back in 2026-27. Which one do you think the Suns might most regret losing?
zenzino: As far as continuity goes, only losing 4 players is pretty good. I’m rarely brief, so I’ll go through them all in reverse order.
While Coffey had a couple of good games against the Suns, we only saw a few flashes of that here. He seems like a player who needs consistent minutes to be effective,
and he wasn’t going to get that on this team.
I liked Livers. There were a number of times when he provided a much-needed spark off the bench. I hope he lands with another team and gets an opportunity to develop. That being said, I don’t think we’re going to look at this like a Toumani Camara, one that got away, situation.
I’m not sure regret is the right word, but we are definitely going to miss some of the things Royce brought to the Suns. He was a cultural and chemistry fit. Lots of people like to describe him as a ‘turnstile’ on defense. While he wasn’t the best on-ball defender, he was great at funneling his player to the help (which can look like a blow-by) and was a really good help defender, coming up with a significant number of timely steals. Royce’s average from three was 40%, and he was particularly good in the 4th quarter. He is also an underrated passer. That’s why he was the inbound passer in critical times. I think we’re going to miss having him to inbound the ball in clutch time.
GA edges out Royce with a caveat: health. If he can play 65-75 games this season, we are absolutely going to regret losing him. Let’s not forget that GA and Royce were the main reason the Suns got off to the shockingly good start last season. Almost a third of the way through the season, they were 1 and 2 in percentage and three-pointers made. Furthermore, for most of last season, GA was the only player not named Booker who could create shots for others. The Suns have more of that now, but you can never have too many playmakers setting up their teammates. And let’s not forget the game-winning hustle plays.
My wife is usually around when I’m watching games, occasionally watching, but mostly listening while building Lego or something. Last season she would note every time GA’s name was exclaimed during the game. She hates Duke and says white boys from Duke have a ‘type’ (she’s not wrong). I digress. The point being she would say, “OMG! Grayson Allen again?” And I’d say, “Yeah, they call out when he does something good.” She won’t have that to complain about anymore. And I’ll miss everything about that.
Ashton: This is easily answered as Grayson Allen. I would have listed the first round pick that the Suns gave up, but it was not an option.
As soon as GA was traded, the questions began as to where the Suns’ perimeter shooting would come from, and that is a legitimate question. Okay, Luke Kennard was brought in to fill that hole, but it is still to be determined. And yes, GA suffered injuries that may have been related to his bulking up routine and maybe sleepless nights with the new kid. But he liked it in Phoenix, and I think the Suns may have done him dirty.
OldAz: While I was an advocate for moving a Royce and Grayson, the obvious answer here is Grayson Allen. They have added youth, length, and athleticism overall (albeit only small improvements with some of the moves), but unless Kennard completely replaces GA’s shooting or Green and Booker have better shooting years, that appears to be the one area of concern on the roster. While I like the roster better overall, I do think there will be a lot of times we miss GA. I don’t foresee that at any point with the other three.
Rod: I have to say it would be Grayson Allen, as he actually did much more on the court than shoot threes. He always played hard, was a solid ball handler and passer, and actually wasn’t too bad at getting to the basket when he took a mind to.
Royce comes in a closer second than I think many might like to admit, though, and I believe he might get more credit if he hadn’t been pushed into playing the role of the Suns’ starting PF. I hope some of the younger guys learned some of his tricks to fake out defenders at the three-point line and get an almost uncontested shot off. He was also a pretty damn good inbounds passer that I hope the Suns don’t miss too much.
Q2: Of the four players added to the Suns’ roster, Miles Bridges is obviously expected to be the most impactful addition. Between the other three — Luke Kennard, Koa Peat and Pat Spencer — which will have the 2nd biggest impact on the court for the Suns in 2026-27?
zenzino: It damn-well better be Luke Kennard.
If Koa Peat makes a bigger impact, that would probably mean that Bridges and Sheer aren’t making as much of an impact as they should. The same goes for Pat Spencer regarding CG and Goodie. They’re both 3rd or lower on the depth chart, so that would probably mean someone in front of them took a step back.
As discussed in the first question, the Suns traded 2 of their 3 best three-point shooters by percentage and number of threes made. That second part is the most important. Yes, Kennard makes almost half of his three-point shots. Impressive. But he has only averaged 4 attempts per game in his career. That’s not going to cut it. Last season, he averaged only 3.2 despite J.J. Redick giving him the green light to shoot ‘whenever he wants’. Meanwhile, Grayson averaged 9.3, and Royce averaged 6.8.
That’s a big gap the Suns are trying to fill. Do we want our 33-35% three-point shooters (Book, Green, Brooks, Bridges) trying to fill that gap? I don’t.
While I don’t think he’s strictly a one-dimensional player, his 3-point shooting is the only reason the Suns signed him. Obviously, giving Kennard the ‘green light’ isn’t enough. He’s going to have to be pushed out of his comfort zone. That will most likely bring his average down from ‘the best ever’ to merely ‘superhuman,’ and he has to be okay with that.
If he can’t/won’t get his attempts up to around 6-8 per game, we are going to really, really miss GA and Royce.
Ashton: If this question had been phrased with “in the future”, my easy answer would be Koa Peat. But it is not, and we are looking at just next season.
Luke Kennard must be the most impactful shooting guard for next season. The Suns’ playoff hopes depend on it. Yes, there are Spencer advocates out there, but Kennard will make the biggest splash.
Also, some fun facts from Wiki: Kennard beat MSU in the ACC-Big 10 challenge in 2016 with a very strong stat line. I am not sure how that sneaked by the FO or if they still feel the sting of it. And as a good segue from Q1, Kennard was frequently matched up against GA at Duke. So, one former Dukie out and another former Dukie in.
OldAz: Suns fans have a bad (but consistent) habit of expecting the players signed to fill out the roster to be the perfect fit and become the exact missing piece to elevate the team. Remember Yuta Watanabe? Or Nigel Hayes-Davis? Too often these players come in and contribute almost nothing and simply take up a roster spot. I expect Peat to get buried on the bench like last season’s rookies until he proves he can contribute more, but Kennard and Spencer both contributed last season on teams that were in the mix in the Western Conference.
On paper, they gave their teams about the same production that Jordan Goodwin gave the Suns. Each averaged a little over 20 minutes a game and contributed just under 10 ppg. I love the scrappiness Spencer brings and think he will become a fan favorite, but I expect Kennard to have the greatest actual impact because he fills that need for shooting better than the others. As a result, I expect he will get more opportunities and playing time…unless he ends up shooting like those previous offseason acquisitions that fell off a proverbial cliff once they arrived in Phoenix.
Rod: As a two-way player, I have to count Spencer out as an impactful player. Kennard’s three-pt shooting makes him the most likely candidate, but at this point in time, I’m not at all certain whether he’ll play a lot of minutes on such a deep roster (see my answer to Q3 for an explanation of this). The same can be said for rookie Koa Peat. Injuries will likely be the deciding factor on which will get the most playing time and the best opportunity to make an impact. Plus, how well each does during training camp and the preseason games could change everything.
At the moment, I’m going with Kennard on this one, though I’m pretty certain that his three-point shooting will get him minutes at times when the Suns really need those points, even if he’s not in the main player rotation.
Q3: With Booker, Green, Brooks, Bridges, and Williams as the likely starters for the Suns this season, which players would you choose for the Suns’ second unit?
zenzino: This is easy. CG, Goodie, Kennard, Sheer, Peat, Oso, and Man Man.
Wait… this is not easy. ‘second unit’ seems a little bit of a misnomer because it’s not like the whole starting lineup sits and then the second unit comes in. I’m going to reject the premise of a second unit.
CG, Sheer, Oso, and probably Goodie are going to be the first off the bench and in regular rotation no matter the matchups and situation. They will have consistent minutes (yes, I put Rasheer Fleming on this list).
How quickly the others are put in the game and how many minutes they get will be based on situations.
Obviously, in games MW sits out, Man Man will be the primary backup to start and maybe take over the 2nd starting position at some point in the season. He’ll also be out there when matchups require his 7’2” length. If SL is any indication, he could earn more and more minutes as the season (and his playing) progresses.
Kennard should be in regular rotation, especially when they need to spread the floor and score some quick threes.
Everyone else is going to be fighting for scrap minutes. Don’t sleep on Highsmith, though. He is a consummate 3 and D guy, forged in Heat Culture, and he should be fully healthy when the season starts.
If I can’t reject the premise: CG, Goodie, Kennard, Sheer, and Oso. For games Oso starts, Man Man slots in his backup role.
Ashton: There are some comments that suggest Green would be better utilized as a sixth man in place of Collin Gillespie as the starter. Sorry, that is not going to happen, but it is an interesting thought. I agree that this will be the starting lineup, but the forward position is a mess for the second unit. The guards were easily the ones to call out. I vacillated between Dunn and Sheer, but thanks to an excellent article from Tom Mildenberger on Ryan Dunn, I decided on my second rotation. I also want to give a shout-out to the commentators with the posts that resonated with me. Why not play Dunn and Sheer both forward spots?
- CG (PG)
- Kennard (SG)
- Ryan Dunn (SF)
- Rasheer Fleming (PF)
- Oso Ighodaro (C)
We don’t know what type of offense or defense Coach Ott is going to roll out on a game-by-game basis, but my guess is that the center position soaks up the most minutes off the bench. For the sixth man or hustle award? I will take Collin Gillespie. I have no idea where to slot Goodie.
OldAz: It’s the offseason so let’s get crazy!
Since we have not seen any of these players together yet, I would love to see a lot of youth served in the second unit, with KM and Fleming in the frontcourt and Colin Gillespie running the show. The wings on this second unit are the most flexible, as Kennard and Goodwin could provide energy and offense, while Dunn and Oso would make for a really long defensive group. Let’s settle on a bit of balance here by giving Kennard the first shot with this second unit and either of Dunn or Oso finishing up the frontcourt. I am intrigued by playing Oso with KM and Fleming since both can shoot, and Oso seems to connect all the parts well, especially with CG on the court.
I guess this leaves me with CG, Kennard, Oso, KM, and Fleming. I love giving the young guys a chance here, but in reality this lineup might prove that I am the worst possible GM/Coach in the world.
Rod: This team is so deep now that I’d say that Gillespie is the only lock to be on the 2nd unit. I’d also say that Goodie is close to being a lock, but the addition of Kennard adds a little uncertainty to that…but I could also see them on the court together with Luke at the 2 and Goodie at the 3. Ott really likes Oso (I do too BTW), but I really want Khaman to be Williams’ backup this season because as the 1st and 2nd unit players get mixed on the court, Williams’ and Khaman’s games are more similar and would require less adjustment from the other players than it would with Oso being the first sub at center.
I think that Fleming will get a solid amount of rotation minutes this season and that they will be shared between the 3 and 4 positions. I’d love to see some minutes with him at the 3 with Khaman and Oso playing the 4 and 5 slots. Add Collin and Goodie to those three… must-see TV IMO. I don’t think Ott will play that lineup as his standard 2nd unit, though.
Until I see some preseason action from this team, I’m going with Gillespie, Goodwin, Highsmith, Fleming, and Maluach though. That’s a good mix of vets, youth, and talent.
As always, many thanks to our Fantable members for all their extra effort this week!
Suns Trivia/History
On July 29, 2020, the Phoenix Suns officially announced the sale of their G League affiliate, the Northern Arizona Suns, to the Detroit Pistons. The team was supposed to relocate from Prescott Valley to Phoenix to play one more season as the NAZ Suns, but the team withdrew entirely from the 2020–21 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic when the G League held an abbreviated season in a ‘bubble’ in Orlando, Florida.
On July 31, 2020, the Suns won the first of eight games in the Orlando Bubble, 125-122, against the Washington Wizards, after the 2019-20 regular season had been suspended for 4.5 months due to the COVID-19 pandemic. With only a 26-39 record before the season resumed (in what were called the “seeding” games) in the bubble, the Suns had an extreme uphill battle to get to the playoffs but won all 8 of their bubble games and missed out on the new Play-In game due only to a tiebreaker between them and Memphis. Despite this, they had the best record of all 22 of the teams that qualified for the bubble; Monty Williams was named Coach of the Seeding Games and Devin Booker was named to the All-Seeding Games First Team.
On August 1, 1994. the Suns traded center Mark West to the Detroit Pistons for a 1996 second-round draft pick and a 1999 2nd round draft pick. West was acquired from Cleveland in 1988 as part of the same trade in which the Suns acquired Kevin Johnson and Tyrone Corbin for Larry Nance and Mike Sanders. He played 8 seasons for the Suns, starting in 349 games, with career averages of 6.9 pts, 6.0 rebs, and 1.7 blocks per game. He is 2nd on the Suns’ All-Time Blocks Leaders list with 897.
On August 1, 1999, the Suns signed Oliver Miller, who was formerly their first-round draft pick (22nd) in 1992, as a free agent to a 1-year deal. Miller, who was notorious for his weight problems, left the Suns after signing a 4-year, 10 million offer sheet from Detroit in 1994. By the time he returned to Phoenix, Miller’s weight was rumored to be near 400 pounds.
On August 1, 2000, the Suns signed Tony Delk as a free agent. Although drafted in the first round with the 16th pick in 1996 by the Charlotte Hornets, Delk would spend his 10-year NBA career as a journeyman, never spending more than a season and a half with a single NBA team. For one night though, he was virtually unstoppable as he scored 53 points (at the time the 3rd best scoring performance by a Suns player in team history) in a losing effort against the Sacramento Kings on Jan. 2, 2001.
Today his 53-point night still ranks as the 7th best in team history.
On August 3, 2005, following the Quentin Richardson trade to the NYK and while in the extended process of shipping Joe Johnson to Atlanta, the Phoenix Suns signed shooting guard Raja Bell to a five-year, $23.75 million contract. A hard-nosed defender, one of Bell’s most memorable moments as a Sun was during Game 5 of the Suns’ 2006 first-round series vs the Lakers.
The Suns were down 3-1 going into that game but wound up winning the remaining 3 games to take the series and progress to the 2nd round. After defeating the LA Clippers 4-3 in the 2nd round, they went on to the Western Conference Finals where they lost out to the Dallas Mavericks 4-2.
Important Future Dates
Late September (dates TBD) – NBA Training Camps open
Oct. 5 – Suns @ Pistons (preseason) 4:00 PM
Oct. 7 – Suns @ Bulls (preseason) 5:00 PM
Oct. 10 – Suns vs. Spurs (preseason) 7:00 PM
Oct. 14 – Suns @ Spurs (preseason) 5:00 PM
Oct. 16 – Suns vs. Jazz (preseason) 7:00 PM
Dec. 15 – Most players signed to new contracts can be traded
Jan. 5 – 10-day contracts may now be signed
Jan. 10 – All NBA contracts are guaranteed for the remainder of the season
Jan. 15 – All players signed to new contracts can be traded
Feb. 19-21 – NBA All-Star 2027
