

However, they've since decided to move forward with Ayton on the roster, as they believe his value to them "is at an all-time high with the additions of Beal and Durant," according to Turner Sports' Chris Haynes.ĭuring his introductory press conference, new Suns head coach Frank Vogel said he thought Ayton "can be one of the best centers in the league." Ayton showed that type of upside during the Suns' march to the 2021 NBA Finals, but he's been far more inconsistent over the past two seasons. That framework "initially held appeal to the Suns," according to Stein," because it would have given them two players they like in Hardaway and Holmes who could plug into a rotation with numerous vacancies" around Durant, Booker and Beal. According to longtime insider Marc Stein, they nearly traded him to the Dallas Mavericks for Tim Hardaway Jr., Richaun Holmes and JaVale McGee leading up to the 2023 NBA draft, but "the Suns balked at McGee's inclusion." The Suns could always pivot before the February trade deadline and flip Ayton for multiple depth pieces. If any of them miss extended time in the regular season, it's unclear whether the Suns have enough depth to stay afloat in the cutthroat Western Conference. Booker missed 14 games in 2021-22 and 29 games last season, too. Durant missed the entire 2019-20 campaign after tearing his Achilles in the 2019 NBA Finals, and he has played only 137 games over the past three seasons combined. That's the bullish perspective on the Suns, but there's also reason to doubt whether their Big Four model is sustainable beyond this season.Īfter playing all 82 games in both 2017-19, Beal has missed at least 12 games in each of the past four seasons. Durant, Booker and Beal each routinely command double-teams, but it's impossible to send additional help at all three. Adding another three-level scorer alongside Durant and Booker should give the Suns a top-five offense this year and could make them nearly unguardable in the playoffs. Relevance is automatically assessed, so occasionally headlines not about Phoenix Suns news might appear - if so please contact us regarding any persistent issues.Beal is coming off two relatively disappointing seasons, but he averaged more than 30 points per game with the Wizards in both 2019-21.

This feed updates continuously 24/7 with the latest headlines from the cream of Suns sites and other key national and regional sports sources, including Suns trade rumors, Suns injury reports and roster news, so check back regularly. The Suns have retired six numbers: 5 (Dick Van Arsdale), 6 (Walter Davis), 7 (Kevin Johnson), 33 (Alvan Adams), 42 (Connie Hawkins), and 44 (Paul Westphal). The Suns were founded in 1968 as an expansion team, and have won three conference titles (in 1976, 1993, and 2021) and eight division titles (in 1981, 1993, 1995, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2021, and 2022), but have never won an NBA championship. The Suns are the only team in their division not to be based in California, and play their home games at the Footprint Center. They compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA), as a member of the Western Conference Pacific Division.

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Latest news on the Phoenix Suns, a professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona.
