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 — gives their takes on the Suns’ latest issues and news.
Fantable Questions of the Week
Q1: The Suns need to get bigger at power forward. Rasheer Fleming is the only real choice currently on the roster to accomplish that.
Would you prefer him to be penciled in as the Suns’ starting PF for 2026-27 or should the Suns look for a veteran (either through a trade or free agency) to take on that role for now?
Diamondhacks: The Suns don’t need a bigger power forward. We need defensive rebounds, which is fairly straightforward, and better team shot quality, which is fraught and complicated. Personally, I’d consider acquiring Josh Giddey, who might be uniquely qualified to improve on both deficiencies.
Of course, you would have to give him the ball, and there’s only one, so I don’t expect it will ever happen.
Absent acquisitions, I’d pencil in whoever’s our most productive all-around “4”, regardless of salary, history, or potential. That’s how a healthy meritocracy, which elevates the entire team, should work. Right now, O’Neale is better than Fleming in: free throw percentage, three-point shooting, defensive rebounding, outlet passing, (clears throat), screen setting, ballhandling, half-court decision making, and court awareness. Rasheer’s probably better at most everything else, presumably working diligently on the other stuff. He doesn’t need to be better than Royce at everything, of course, but that’s how I would frame the evaluation between now and opening day.
Ashton: Anytime this question is asked, I am left wondering with what money? The Suns have roughly $9 million to commit when it is all said and done, and when a team is that close to staying under the luxury tax through cap gymnastics, my brain turns into a pretzel. So, the writers can unravel it for me.
Summertime is the time to float outlandish trade ideas on the board and I enjoy the takes. I always have. Or Rod can just correct me on what aspects of player retention the Suns are looking at, and then round down or up since pennies aren’t accepted anymore.
I did a quick scroll through available UFAs that might be affordable for the Suns. Not RFAs or team/player options, just using that $9 million in mind and leaving the trades to those who know better than I.
Of course, you keep Fleming, but asking him to man the PF starting role is a big one. And the question was asked about who could be available with size in the power forward free agent market? Okay, I omitted size and went with potential talent.
I like the following:
- Jeremy Sochan
- Marvin Bagley
- Mouhamed Gueye
- Dean Wade (the name sounds cool – I know nothing about him)
- Nicolas Batum
But if we are all talking weird trade ideas. The Suns should trade for Bronny James. That would put two of his sons in the Great State of Arizona and LeBron likes to puff about having more family time. Well, coming off the bench and enjoying the heat with Scottsdale golf courses, he might do it at a vet min. This will never happen, of course, he likes LA.
OldAz: I know that this question is really asking about bringing in another STARTING power forward, but when I read the question, I couldn’t help but think of the Old El Paso taco shell commercial (and meme) where the little girl quizzically asks, “Why not both,” to which everyone reacts as if she just cured cancer. That is the only correct answer here.
The Suns should pencil Fleming in as the starter, AND go get the best PF they can get using the assets they have and are willing to use. If that player is on the level of Julius Randle or the version of Brandon Ingram that the Suns faced in the playoffs a few years ago, then no one will complain when Fleming has to come off the bench and compete for minutes. OTOH, when that player is similar to Bobby Portis, 2021 Jae Crowder (ie, a bigger Royce O’Neale), then Fleming has a competent backup, and Ott has no excuse for any more 4 guard lineups that leave their center hanging out to dry.
Rod: I would go ahead and pencil Fleming in as the starting PF for next season while searching for a quality backup. If, however, during that search, they turn up a very good deal for someone who could in fact be the starter they need, they should jump on that. It all depends on what the Suns would have to give up to get another PF to add to the roster. If the price is too high to get anyone who could potentially start, then go after the best quality backup they can afford and roll with Fleming as the starter.
Q2: Across the board, Ryan Dunn’s stats changed little between his first and second seasons. Do you still have faith that he can significantly improve in year three?
Diamondhacks: A Dunn breakout resembling starter quality seems more likely in year four or five. But I’m willing to wait, because outside of our centers, Ryan’s the best two-way rebounder on the team, and to the extent we’re leaning into the likes of Booker, Green, and Brooks hoisting sixty shots a game, there’s going to be a heck of a lot of rebounds.
Ashton: Remember last season when the board was abuzz with Brooks and Dunn? Yeah, that did not quite work out, and I really only like a few country songs. Certainly not this generation of country songs. So, in that vein, Dunn is Done. Those calling for trading him are correct.
In an offensive scheme, you have to show growth. Dunn (and a few others) were unable to do it. A trade to another team may?
For that matter, what is the offensive scheme? Just let Booker and Green hoist shots? This is a bit of a dig on Coach Ott’s system, but I really could not describe it to you.
OldAz: So you’re telling me the stats from his rookie season, where everyone was so high on him and happy, and his sophomore season, where fans have howled about wanting to trade him, were basically the same? It’s amazing how much expectations can change.
In his rookie season, Dunn was one of the only players who looked like they cared at all on the defensive end. Last year, he struggled at times with the new system, but I don’t remember ever questioning his effort. I still believe he can improve on both ends and that his jumper doesn’t look that bad. He just needs time and some consistent effort put into letting him develop, and I think he will be just fine. Whether he gets that opportunity with the Suns, however, is a totally different question.
Rod: After this last season, my hope in Dunn significantly improving has dimmed quite a bit. I still think he can improve in certain areas and that he’ll at least be a solid backup/rotation player, but I’m not really expecting much more than that. I’m not sure at all what goes through his head on the court, but at times I think he’s his own worst enemy. In some games, he’s looked almost timid on offense, and in others, he seemed to throw caution to the wind and play reckless at times. And the only reason I can see for his sub-standard FT shooting is something mental, perhaps a lack of confidence. He seems to have all the tools to get the job done, but just hasn’t managed to put it all together and become more than he currently is yet.
Q3: Some fans have expressed the opinion that the Suns should go ahead and sign Koby Brea to a standard NBA contract this summer instead of another two-way contract if he’s brought back. What’s your opinion on whether Brea should be re-signed and how?
Diamondhacks: In college, Brea’s Treyahs (this rhymes, not a real word, and not a typo 😊 ) speak to Koby’s repeatable stroke and elite concentration. As does his 90% FT standard. But does he have any game, at all, beyond that? When professionals guard? Sub 32% in G-League? His stroke seems sufficiently intriguing to keep on a two-way, but I don’t understand his overall game well enough, if he has one, to commit to a full.
Ashton: Nope. Suns fans were correct in identifying Collin Gillespie as an early riser, and Koby was also identified by many during Summer League as another.
But it comes back to the financials, and this is not something that Suns do. That razor-thin margin between repeater tax, heck, even $10 million more into the first apron is brutal or $20 million more into the second apron.
If they can keep Koby on a two-way, then that is the path to take. CBA and economic realities are what they are.
OldAz: Why would they do this when they don’t have to, and certainly not do it earlier than they need to? Brea has yet to show consistently that he can contribute at the NBA level or even stay on the back end of the roster. I would wait until he proves he belongs and maintain flexibility as long as I can if I was in the Suns front office.
Rod: There’s been a lot of talk about Brea’s three-point shooting. If you take out his 6 of 9 performance in the final game of the season against OKC’s bench players, he made a very modest 33.3% of his three-point attempts this season. He only did slightly better in the G League at 34.9% against lesser competition. At this point, I think the jury’s still out on him as to whether he’ll become more than just another guy with a lot of potential. I’d be fine with bringing him back on another two-way contract, but right now I don’t think the Suns should use one of their standard contract roster spots on him.
As always, many thanks to our Fantable members for all their extra effort this week!
Quotes of the Week
“When I talk about the identity, one of the things that’s really important is … when our fans leave the arena, here’s what I want them saying: Man, that team plays hard!” – Brian Gregory
Suns Trivia/History
On May 16, 1976, the Suns defeated the defending NBA Champions, the Golden State Warriors, 94-86 in game seven of the Western Conference Finals to earn their first conference championship and their first trip to the NBA Finals to face the Boston Celtics.
On May 16, 2000, the Suns were defeated 87-65 by the LA Lakers in Game 5 of the Western Conference Semifinals and eliminated from the playoffs 4-1. The 65 points scored by the Suns is the franchise record for the lowest point total ever in any game, playoff, or regular season. Only one Suns player — reserve player Todd Day — scored in double figures (barely with 10 points). The team made only 28.8% of their shots from the field. None of the starters made more than 27.3% of their field goal attempts and were a combined 11-of-52 from the field.
On May 22, 2006, the Suns defeated the LA Clippers 127-107 in the 7th game of the WC Semi-Finals to take the series 4-3. The Suns played only seven players that night, with two starters playing over 40 minutes (Shawn Marion, 45 mins, Tim Thomas, 42 mins) and the rest of the starters playing between 35 and 39 minutes each. The two bench players utilized that night (Leandro Barbosa and James Jones) played a combined 40 minutes. All seven scored in double figures with Marion leading the Suns with 30 points. The leading scorer for the Clippers was Elton Brand (36 points), who played all but 5 seconds of the game.
Important Future Dates
Mid-June (date TBD) – Teams can begin negotiating with their own free agents (following the Finals)
June 23 – NBA Draft First Round, 8 ET (ABC/ESPN)
June 24 – NBA Draft Second Round, 8 ET (ESPN)
June 30 – Teams can begin negotiations with all free agents
July 6 – Moratorium ends, official free agent contract signings can begin
July 9-19 – NBA 2K Summer League 2026 in Las Vegas
