The Phoenix Suns had a surprisingly good season on the heels of trading Kevin Durant to the Houston Rockets. Dillon Brooks took a substantial offensive leap, and Jalen Green — while inconsistent — had periods when his performance looked mature and more primed for positive play.
Unfortunately for the Suns, issues remain. Chief among them being a topic that will be controversial to fans of the organization.
Is Devin Booker good enough to be viewed as a No. 1 star?
Look, Booker is good. He’s a formidable scorer, his playmaking has been historically undervalued, and he’s made defensive strides over the course of his career, which have mostly gone unnoticed. That said, outside of games when he truly goes off, Booker seems to fluctuate between franchise leader and complementary star.
Devin Booker hasn’t won a playoff game since 2023.
(Christian Petersen via Getty Images)
During their sweep to the Oklahoma City Thunder in the first round, Booker averaged 21.3 points per game and looked every bit like a guy who isn’t a primary player. He also shot 46% from the floor and 25% from 3 and averaged four turnovers per game.
Some will point to his persistent ankle issues, and that’s a fair point. His performance against Oklahoma City might not be representative of his true impact. Yet we’ve seen him decline as a 3-point shooter for four years now (34.3% over his last 260 games), and he is a bit all over the place.
After averaging 31 points and seven assists over the first eight games of the season, his scoring dropped by a whopping 10 points per game over the next 14. For a player, whose primary skill is putting the ball in the basket, the Suns need more out of him.
2025-26 finish
Record: 45-37, seventh in the Western Conference. Eliminated by the Oklahoma City Thunder in four games in the first round.
Highlight of the season
The offensive evolution of Brooks, who became a nightly 20-point scorer, which was very much needed as Phoenix’s offense was projected to be poor before his emergence.
Players signed for next season
Devin Booker
Jalen Green
Dillon Brooks
Grayson Allen
Royce O’Neale
Khaman Maluach
Ryan Dunn
Rasheer Fleming
Key free agents
Oso Ighodaro (partial guarantee)
Collin Gillespie (UFA)
Jordan Goodwin (UFA)
Projected salary
$154,574,458
Projected draft picks
No. 47
Draft focus: Best player available, full stop. The Suns need talent, and if they circle in for a guy who can — in particular — fill up the bucket, all the better. Because they need it.
The Suns will be, yet again, expensive. It’s kind of their brand by now. Unless, of course, they make sweeping changes, but that seems unlikely.
Gillespie will command a high new salary, and they can’t afford to lose him. So if we anticipate his return at a costly salary, we’re probably looking at a team that won’t be able or feel free to use the full non-taxpayer mid-level exception, even if the Suns can stay under that threshold.
Needs & goals
The Suns need to identify, once and for all, what their ambition level is. They became younger last summer, which was probably the right play. So, sticking with that vision, it wouldn’t be the worst idea in the world to prioritize youth whenever they can and try to build a sustainable model for the future.
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