The Phoenix Suns made some slight tweaks this offseason but returns Dillon Brooks and franchise stalwart Devin Booker.
Phoenix, coming off a 45-37 record and a first-round playoff exit to the Oklahoma City Thunder as the No. 8 seed, will look to make a leap out of the Western Conference's middle tier. Jalen Green's availability likely plays a role after hamstring issues limited him for most of the 2025-26 campaign, but the road into the Western Conference playoff picture remains a challenging one.
Phoenix's best chance at a chip might come from muscling itself into the middle seeds of the playoffs rather than the play-in-tournament-to-exit pipeline that often comes from taking on the West's No. 1 opponent. The Suns' on-court continuity and new, less splashy moves may be the boost they needed to ascend.
ESPN's staff of experts is looking back at the offseason and taking an early look at the 2026-27 season for all 30 teams, with 30 pieces -- one for every team -- rolling out each weekday through Sept. 18. We're answering the biggest looming questions, evaluating X factors and much more for all 30 teams.
Let's dive into the Suns, who made some important contract decisions this summer:
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Offseason at a glance
Key additions: F Miles Bridges, F Koa Peat, G Luke Kennard
Key subtractions: G Grayson Allen, F Royce O'Neale
Key retentions: F Dillon Brooks, G Collin Gillespie, C Mark Williams, G Jordan Goodwin
Phoenix followed up its surprising season with a series of moves to mostly keep its team intact, with some adjustments around the margins.
The Suns re-signed Gillespie (four years, $48 million), Williams (three years, $38 million), Goodwin (three years, $19 million) and Brooks (three years, $73 million) to new deals and made a major splash by trading Allen and O'Neale to the Charlotte Hornets for Bridges. And despite not having a pick until No. 47 in the second round of the 2026 draft, Phoenix was able to acquire Arizona player Peat -- who averaged 14.1 points on 52.8% shooting as a freshman for the Wildcats and was key to their Final Four run. -- Dave McMenamin
Zach Kram's offseason grade: B-
The Suns handed out a bunch of smart contracts this summer to Gillespie, Goodwin, Williams and Kennard. If they'd stopped there, they would've had one of the best offseasons for any team.
But then they went one step further and traded an unprotected 2033 first-round pick for Bridges, who has just one season left on his contract and is less impactful than his surface stats suggest. That deal was so questionable on its own that it knocked the Suns from a B-plus summer to a B-minus. -- Kram
What we learned this offseason
From Ben Golliver's offseason lessons piece: Khaman Maluach deserves a real shot.
The Suns haven't made any earth-shattering moves: Bridges and Kennard are in, while Allen and O'Neale are out. Devin Booker, Jalen Green and Brooks form a decent core that can keep Phoenix's head above water, but they aren't scaring any of the West's top contenders. Look at what happened in last season's playoffs: The Thunder ran the Suns off the court in the first round.
One possible answer for how Phoenix can take the next step is Maluach, a 7-foot-1 center from South Sudan who played sparingly as a rookie. Suns coach Jordan Ott preferred faster and smaller lineups that fit his desire to launch 3-pointers in volume: Phoenix ranked fifth in 3-point attempts last season, up from 12th in 2024-25. That strategic approach helped turn the Suns into a 45-win pleasant surprise, but their lack of size came back to bite them in the playoffs.
Maluach boasts an impressive physique, and he displayed improved awareness and good energy on both ends during an excellent run at summer league. The 19-year-old big man does most of his scoring around the basket, but he was also able to step out and make open 3-pointers in Las Vegas.
Maluach could potentially represent the best of both worlds as a stretch option who fits Ott's vision and a big-bodied defender who can shore up Phoenix's paint defense. While it might not fully come together during the 2026-27 season given his youth, the Suns should dramatically expand his role to see how quickly he can become a reliable difference-maker. -- Golliver
The big question: What is Green's fit with this team when he's healthy?
Initially viewed as the biggest piece in the trade that sent Kevin Durant to the Houston Rockets, hamstring issues limited Green to just 32 games last season.
Phoenix went 17-15 with him in the lineup as he struggled with efficiency (42.2% from the field, 31.3% from 3 with an assist-to-turnover ratio barely north of 1-to-1).
If Green, 24, can stay healthy this season, second-year coach Jordan Ott will be challenged to juggle touches for him alongside Bridges (13.5 FGA last season), Brooks (17.1 FGA) and franchise mainstay Devin Booker (18.7 FGA). -- McMenamin
Basketball Power Index rank: No. 8
Here are the predicted Net Points per 100 possessions for the Suns' top seven players for the 2026-27 season:
Dillon the Villain is one of those wing defenders whose job it is to guard opposing teams' best players. He guards players who average +1.1 offensive net points per 100 possessions (Genius IQ), a step below All-Star level. But, if you look at other guys in the role -- Ausar Thompson, Lu Dort, OG Anunoby, etc. -- Brooks allowed among the highest shot quality and shooting percentage. And, living up to his nickname, he was among the leaders in both techs and flagrant fouls. -- Dean Oliver
Read about how Net Points works here.
Biggest X factor this season
Green's first season in Phoenix was one to forget, as he played just 32 games due to injury and averaged 17.8 PPG -- his lowest since his rookie season -- on a career-low true shooting percentage. Green should stay in the Suns' starting lineup for now, due in part to his contract ($36 million this season with a $36 million player option for 2027-28) and in part to his potential, but the 2021 No. 2 pick could be on thin ice.
Gillespie and Goodwin re-signed with the Suns in free agency this summer, and Kennard joined the team. All three guards could be more natural fits with the rest of Phoenix's starters than Green. -- Kram
Fantasy insight from our experts
Second-year center Maluach made a strong case for more playing time in 2026-27 by averaging 19.5 PPG, 12.8 RPG and 2.0 BPG across four summer league games. He led the event in rebounding, shot 40% from 3-point range and showed the ability to protect the rim and defend in space. He's worth a late-round pick in deeper formats and a spot on your watch list in shallower leagues. -- Eric Moody
Odds by DraftKings 
at time of publication.