Your weekly Inside the Suns analysis straight from the BSotS community who live and breathe the team.
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 – What’s your opinion on the Suns bringing in both Jordan Goodwin and Jared Butler to compete for the Suns’ 3rd point guard spot in training camp?
Ashton: Holy Moly (Batman)! These guys have been waived more times than the classic Beatles song “Hello, Goodbye”. Fun fact: the song was so popular that even The Cure did a rendition of it. One of the most “Pop-y” songs of the ’60s was covered by The Cure? Incredible, and maybe they both show up wearing eye-black makeup. That is entertainment, folks!
If you get waived that many times, that fills a resume block of different teams played for that even AI can’t parse it for a job application, then I would say there are red flags.
Thanks to Bruce Veliz’s excellent perspective articles on Goodwin and Butler (no, he has no knowledge of the Fantable questions, but he would probably be the best to answer Q1), Goodwin could be the defensive pest at the point of attack. The Suns sure could use more of that! But he can’t shoot.
Of the two, I liked Butler the best at Baylor in college. I mean, why not? He won the MVP of the NCAA tournament while leading Baylor to the championship in 2021. I actually thought he would be drafted much higher than #40.
So, it depends on the situation. Do you need someone to feed Booker or Green, then go with Butler, who has the highest amount of potential to develop into a PG. Is the opposing team’s bench PG just running amok? Then insert Goodwin to shut him down.
It is a reach as I still can’t shake this nagging feeling that they are both combo guards. If one or both manage to hang around as backup guards, the more power to them. In the end, I do not think it moves the needle that much.
OldAz: Competition is always good, and with so many new player,s fit and chemistry are hard to predict. Thus, having Gillespie, Goodwi,n and Butler all competing for what looks like 2 backup guard spots is a great thing. While fans love the grit and hustle that Gillespie showed last season in limited minutes, the reality is that he is the same age as Goodwin, and Butler is 2 years younger than both. Each should be given a chance to see how they fit.
While many have been clamoring (screaming?) for a true PG, the reality is that is not what the Suns are planning. If Book and Green are the starting backcourt (they are), then having options that play a similar combo guard style is not necessarily a bad thing. Having 3 players in the mix, not just for 2 roster spots but for limited playing time, will hopefully bring out the best in each.
Rod: I think it’s a smart idea, especially since neither contract is fully guaranteed. I also suspect that Gillespie as the backup point guard isn’t written in stone, so all three will likely be competing for that spot throughout training camp. Since Collin’s contract is fully guaranteed, it’s highly doubtful that he would be the odd man out and get waived before the regular season starts but him falling to 3rd in the PG rotation isn’t out of the realm of possibility.
Could they wind up keeping all three? Sure, but I doubt they will. Certainly, the Suns will bring at least one or 2 more players to training camp on non-guaranteed contracts (Exhibit 10s) and might decide to give that last roster spot to one of them. If the plan is to have Book or Green actually running the point in the starting lineup, keeping three backup PGs just doesn’t seem like a smart move to me. Rosters have enough spots to go three deep in every position but not four.
Q2 – Which new player(s) do you think will have the biggest impact on how well the Suns perform in 2025-26?
Ashton: Wow, what a general question from so many players to choose from! First of all, we do not know yet what trade deadline candidates are still available, but I think the easy answer is Jalen Green. Can he provide ball-handling duties at the point? Especially if Devin Booker is immediately being pressured as the ball-handler?
There is just a smorgasbord of options here at every position.
So, let me take the Darkhorse, since this general topic will be debated anyways.
Koby Brea will have the most surprising impact. I see no new evidence that the NBA is moving from three-point shooting as a future model, and Brea could have that skill in spades.
OldAz: This is easy. Green and Williams. Green because he has the most talent and ability among the newcomers, and looks to have the ball in his hands a lot. Williams will be the other most impactful player because they have finally replaced all the good things DA used to do that contributed to winning. In addition to that, he is in a contract year with a rookie big behind him. He will be highly motivated to show that he is worth that next contract that is so important to NBA players.
I believe Dillon Brooks will have a significant impact in creating the defensive personality of the team, but my hope is that their toughness goes deeper than 1 player for once, and he is one cog in the defensive machine and a solid contributor on offense.
Rod: It’s hard to pick just one, but I think it will most likely be either Jalen Green, Dillon Brook,s or Mark Williams…and I have different reasons for picking all three of them.
For Green, he could have a really big impact on the Suns’ offense, both as a scorer and as another player who should open up Book’s game, as defenders will have to keep track of both of them and not consistently concentrate on stopping either with double teams.
Brooks could be the catalyst in making the Suns’ defense respectable again. He can’t do it by himself but hopefully his attitude and hard work on defense will be contagious and get everyone playing hard on that end of the court.
Williams could be the guy the Suns have always needed at center…if he can stay healthy. If he can just play in 60+ games this season,n I think he will have a big impact on how successful the team could be. I’m excited to see a Suns center who is both talented and motivated.
Q3 – What do you still want the Suns’ front office to do before training camp opens this fall?
Ashton: Let me take the boring route here. How about nothing?
We still have no idea how this team is going to operate playing together and surely some reports (social media, the artist known as Gambo) will leak out during these practices. It may be all butterflies and rainbows on the takes, but I want to read between the lines.
The thing to remember is that there is now a new coach, new GM, and a bunch of new players that have not had the chance to play with each other. Where have we seen this before? The word “alignment” has become the new Sun’s buzzword, but there are others. Such a “continuity” and “cohesion”. Let’s see if all aligns in practice first, even with the glut of combo guards.
Let’s address the Kuminga trade rumors. GSW sure looks like they will not back off that first round pick request, which is asinine, being that NBA teams hoard them like gold. Besides, the Suns really do not have one to trade. And Kuminga’s camp has no problem holding out. Suns are not getting Kuminga for GA and RO before training camp. I am sure something will pop-up in the media for the Suns writers and commentators to keep busy with, but I would just take a deep breath, enjoy the monsoon season, and not breath, much, in a haboob.
OldAz: Nothing really, unless an opportunity presents itself to offload Allen and/or O’Neale for either expiring contracts or for a young player that fits where the team is headed (cough, Power forward, cough). In reality, this is probably better left till the trade deadline so the front office can evaluate what they have and take advantage of some team needing shooting, a vet bench player, or even a big like Richards. If they pull the trigger too early then there won’t be players to trade away at the deadline.
Rod: Despite some of the splashier moves I’ve kept hearing rumors about, I’d just like to see them move some of the guys that presently don’t really seem to fit into the team’s future plans for some future draft assets, even if those turn out to be only a few of 2nd round picks. There are good arguments for holding on to Allen, O’Neale and Richards – at least until the trade deadline – but I think that moving at least one of them now should be done if a reasonably good deal can be found. And if said trade brings back another player, his salary should be less than what the Suns send out or a potentially useful addition to the roster, or be accompanied by some extra future draft picks.
If the Suns can somehow swing a splashier trade (such as one for Kuminga) cheaply, that would be fine too, but they shouldn’t overpay for anyone.
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 making it to the new play-in stage due only to losing the 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, 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.
Only six Suns players have ever scored 50+ points in a single game. Devin Booker has done it 8 times, Tom Chambers did it twice, and Tony Delk, Jamal Crawford, Amar’e Stoudemire and Cliff Robinson all reached that mark once. Chambers was the 1st when he scored 56 against GSW on 2/18/1990. Booker was the last when he scored 52 against NOP on 4/1/2024.
Last Week’s poll results
Last week’s question was “Which Suns rookie impressed you the most during the Summer League games?”
04% – Khaman Maluach
10% – Rasheer Fleming
76% – Koby Brea
10% – CJ Huntley
A total of 296 votes were cast.
Important Future Dates
October 3 – Preseason game vs LA Lakers
October 10 – Preseason game vs Brooklyn Nets (China)
October 12 – Preseason game vs Brooklyn Nets (China)
October 21 – Regular Season Opening Night
Feb. 13-15 – 2026 NBA All-Star weekend in Los Angeles, CA
This week’s poll is…
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