Major Trades
There is a lot to go over before the start of this season. If you watched the Suns the past couple of years, there probably wont be many names on this season’s roster you will recognize. Let’s go over the major trades first, before going over this season’s roster and then predictions.
Kevin Durant
At the beginning of this year, we traded for Kevin Durant by giving up fan favorites Mikal Bridges and Cam Johnson as well as Jae Crowder and picks 1. This came three days after the sale of the Phoenix Suns to Matt Ishbia was officially completed. Jae Crowder had his own issues and definitely needed to go, but losing Mikal and Cam was a serious blow to our depth. Kevin Durant can solve a lot of problems, but he is only one guy.
At the end of the day, I understand why we made this move. And, I would have probably made this trade too if it was up to me. I’m also happy for Mikal and Cam as it looks like their careers are flourishing over in Brooklyn.
Chris Paul & Bradley Beal
The next trade saw Chris Paul, Laundry Shamet and picks for Bradley Beal, Isaiah Todd and Jordan Goodwin 2. When I initially heard about this trade from a friend, I was not a fan. I liked that we were trying to trade out from under an aging Chris Paul’s contract. I didn’t like that we would be receiving Bradley Beal and others.
I like Beal and I think he’s a great player, but he would be filling the same roll as Devin Booker. Not that I think having two top tier shooitng guards is a bad thing, but it feels redundant when we really need diversity. I believe Beal will help us, but the real question is, will he help us in the areas we need most (Ballhandling & Floorspacing).
Deandre Ayton
The most recent trade saw us parting ways with Deandre Ayton for Jusuf Nurkic, Nassir Little, Keon Johnson, and Grayson Allen 3. I had a similar reaction to this trade as I did with the Chris Paul & Bradley Beal trade, I didnt immediately like it. We’ve had a depth issue at the wing position ever since losing Mikal and Cam and this trade looks to address that problem. Other than Grayson Allen though, I’ve seen very little of Nassir Little or Keon Johnson that would lead me to believe this problem is fixed.
I wanted to move on from Ayton, but I dont think what we got in return was worth it. In my opinion, we should’ve let him start the year to potentially raise his value. He seemed very motivated and I heard great things about Frank Vogal getting the best out of his centers, so I would have liked to see that play out.
Roster
Here is the Phoenix Suns roster for the 2023-2024 Season. As you can see from the headshots below, we have a lot of new additions. I’m very excited for this season and can’t wait for tip off Oct 24th againt the Warriors.
| Name | Pos | Age | Ht | Wt | College | Salary | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Grayson Allen #3 | SG | 28 | 6' 4" | 198 lbs | Duke | $8,925,000 |
|
Udoka Azubuike #20 | C | 24 | 6' 11" | 270 lbs | Kansas | --- |
|
Keita Bates-Diop #21 | SF | 27 | 6' 8" | 229 lbs | Ohio State | $2,364,614 |
|
Bradley Beal #3 | SG | 30 | 6' 4" | 207 lbs | Florida | $46,741,590 |
|
Bol Bol #11 | C | 23 | 7' 2" | 220 lbs | Oregon | $2,019,706 |
|
Devin Booker #1 | SG | 26 | 6' 5" | 206 lbs | Kentucky | $36,016,200 |
|
Kevin Durant #35 | SF | 35 | 6' 10" | 240 lbs | Texas | $47,649,433 |
|
Drew Eubanks #14 | PF | 26 | 6' 10" | 245 lbs | Oregon State | $2,346,614 |
|
Jordan Goodwin #0 | G | 24 | 6' 3" | 200 lbs | Saint Louis | $1,927,896 |
|
Eric Gordan #23 | SG | 34 | 6' 3" | 215 lbs | Indiana | --- |
|
Keon Johnson #6 | SG | 21 | 6' 3" | 185 lbs | Tennessee | $2,808,720 |
|
Damion Lee #10 | SG | 30 | 6' 5" | 210 lbs | Louisville | $2,528,233 |
|
Saben Lee #38 | G | 24 | 6' 2" | 183 lbs | Venderbilt | --- |
|
Nassir Little #10 | SF | 23 | 6' 5" | 220 lbs | North Carolina | $6,250,000 |
|
Chimezie Metu #4 | PF | 26 | 6' 9" | 225 lbs | USC | $2,019,706 |
|
Jusuf Nurkic #27 | C | 29 | 7' 0" | 290 | --- | $16,875,000 |
|
Josh Okogie# 2 | SF | 25 | 6' 4" | 213 lbs | Georgia Tech | $2,815,937 |
|
Ish Wainright #12 | F | 29 | 6' 5" | 250 lbs | Baylor | $1,927,896 |
|
Yuta Watanabe #18 | SF | 28 | 6' 8" | 215 lbs | George Washington | $2,346,614 |
Predictions
Based off our roster as it is currently constructed, offense will definitely not be an issue. Bradley Beal, Devin Booker and Kevin Durant will be able to carry the bulk of the offensive load. The biggest questions I have are can we stay healthy and can we find consistency from everyone else.
The motto for this season is: Availability is the best ability.
Our big three has had their health issues the past few seasons and that’s not something to ignore. Booker and Beal are typically good for around 60-70 games. The reasons can range from a minor injury (miss 1-2 games) to a resurfacing ongoing issue (miss 2+ weeks). Kevin Durant on the other hand, doesnt normally suffer from minor problmes, but instead sustains a major injury that keep him out for long periods of time. Ideally, each should have less workload because one of the other big three can pick up any slack and in turn allow for healthy seasons for everyone.
Nurkic is also known for his health problems. He should ideally have the least amount of workload offensively he has had in years, since he is at best, the 4th option. Defense is where we need him the most and this might offset any advantage he might have gained from being the 4th option on offense.
As for everyone else, it has yet to be seen what we will get. We have a lot more wing depth this year than last, so we can hopefully sustain any momentum during the inevitable injury that will come. We have also gotten younger with many players on our roster 30 years old or younger. We will ideally see this in better transition numbers with more players consistently being able to get out on the break and get back on defense.
Prediction
We will finish 3rd in the west behind Denver and a California team. We will finish higher if we have good health and mesh together quickly. If injuries hit us hard, we will no doubt finish worse.
Record: 53 - 29