The Phoenix Suns added multiple pieces in a major roster shakeup in the offseason. Out the door went Deandre Ayton, Jock Landale, Chris Paul, Cam Payne and T.J. Warren. In came Grayson Allen, Jusuf Nurkic and Bradley Beal via trade, and new free-agent signings Bol Bol, Drew Eubanks and Eric Gordon, among others. They also brought in a new head coach in Frank Vogel, who only lasted one season. These moves sent a clear signal that the team was wanting to compete for a title.

How’d It Go?

Technically, by making the playoffs, they did compete for a title. But no one really thought they really had a shot to actually go far after a very up-and-down regular season. Consistent injuries to Beal prevented the Suns from getting a real look at their new roster core, and the team never looked like it had figured itself out. They ended up being swept as the sixth seed by the third-seeded Timberwolves. They lost three of the four games by a combined 60 points. Grayson Allen was the only player to have a defensive rating below 120.0. Also, only Eric Gordon had an offensive rating better than 110.6. The Suns’ lack of depth was on full display as the Wolves outclassed them in every aspect of the game. Allen shot an abysmal 20.0% from the field, Gordon shot 32.1% and trade deadline addition Royce O’Neale shot 31.8%.

The Suns ended up trading away many of their bargain-basement offseason signings in hopes of balancing out the roster, especially as it became clear that there just wouldn’t be time for Booker, Durant and Beal to build real chemistry together. The team never addressed the lack of a true point guard — again, which stung extra because Beal wasn’t healthy enough to assume the role — and whatever games they did win were largely the result of the sheer star power that Durant and Booker possess.

In order to win a title, the role players have to be better and they have to complement the stars. For a lot of the regular season, it did look like maybe they had enough if everything clicked in at the exact right time. But it ended up being a mirage as the Suns had no answer to the Wolves’ stifling defense.

Coaching

On May 11, the Suns announced the hiring of Mike Budenholzer. Coach Budenholzer was the  head coach for the Bucks when they won their title in 2020-21. However, the Bucks got beat in the first round in 2022-23, which prompted his exit from Milwaukee (though that might be something the franchise regrets now). This is the third head coach in as many seasons for Phoenix, who fired Monty Williams before hiring and then firing Frank Vogel. Generally speaking, hiring three head coaches in three seasons is a terrible way to build a winner, but Phoenix is going to try and do it anyways.

Budenholzer’s teams are generally known for their defense as he has made the playoffs in all but one season as a head coach. His 2014-15 Atlanta Hawks team was fifth in defensive rating. They were seventh the following year. In Milwaukee, he took them from the 18th ranked defense in the league to the best defensive rating for two straight seasons. Given the way they played defense in the playoffs, the Suns could really use that kind of a defensive pedigree. However, that was the thought behind Vogel and we see how that turned out.

Ultimately, it is unclear what this coaching change does to this roster as they switched one defensive minded coach, for another. The defense is in need of repair but so is the offense. They have three all-world scorers and being just tenth in offensive rating feels like a disappointment. Budenholzer’s Bucks teams were near the bottom in assist rate and near the top in isolation; very similar to what we saw out of the Suns this year with them ranking 15th in assist rate and relying on some of the most gifted iso scorers in the game.

Hopefully he can unlock more out of his team on defense and trust the offensive firepower of their big-three will come through. As of now, that seems to be the gameplan.

The Players

ADP: 11.3/16.9 (ESPN/Yahoo) | Total Value: 6/7 (8/9-cat) | Per-Game Value: 9/12 (8/9-cat)

Durant played in 75 games this season, the first time he has hit that number since 2018-19, and he gave managers exactly what they paid for — and then some. He also played in 37.2 minutes per game, a mark he has now hit for just the second time since 2013-14 (He played in 37.2 minutes per game as a Net in 2021-22). Durantula (an underappreciated nickname, in my humble opinion) was unleashed this year, and it was beautiful as he beat his career marks in FG%, 3-point FG%, eFG%, assists and blocks. However, he did shoot the ball better in his most recent, injury-shortened seasons.

Despite the addition of Bradley Beal, Durant did not see a drop in his usage rate and actually took more field-goal attempts per game this season. This season, he took fewer free-throws per game, averaging 5.6, the lowest amount for him since attempting 5.9 in 2017-18. Outside of that, you’d have to go back to his rookie year to find another season below six attempts per game. It is not massive but with a player like Durant who is drafted so early, those small changes can make a player go from a top-10 pick to a top-20 pick. Luckily, that wasn’t the case here.

One considerable drop off from KD this year was in isolation. He consistently is near the top in frequency for isolation and he is typically good at it. However, he was down to 0.94 points per possession (PPP) this year, which down from 1.02 last year and 1.10 the year before that. He is consistently around 1.06 PPP for career. His eFG% in isolation this year was an abysmal 45.2%. Last year he had a 50.6 eFG% in his games in Brooklyn (the 64.7% eFG% in Phoenix was just in eight games). In 2021-22, the eFG% in isolation was 55.6%. Another area of concern for Durant was his production following the All-Star Game.

Before the break, he was solidly a first-round, 9-cat asset, averaging 28.2 points, 2.3 triples, 6.6 rebounds, 5.7 dimes, 0.9 steals and 1.3 blocks per game to go with a 53.8% FG% and an 87.1% FT%.

He was a late third-round/early fourth-round, 9-cat asset after the break with significant drops in points (25.4),dimes (3.8), blocks (0.4), FG% (50.3%) and FT% (81.9%). If we zero-in on just April, he was solidly a fourth-round asset to end the season.

His stats were good in the playoffs so that does poke a hole in the idea that the workload (playing 75 games for the first time in many years) wore him down at the end of the year. However, it does not get rid of the thought altogether.

It will be hard to strongly advise against selecting KD around the back-end of the first round or early in the second because the upside is certainly there. But it might not be a bad idea.

Want access to the rest of this Season Wrap? You’ll need to have a FANTASYPASS membership. Click here to learn more and sign up! 

Premium Access Required:

ADP: 13.2/15.8 (ESPN/Yahoo) | Total Value: 21/21 (8/9-cat) | Per-Game Value: 17/16 (8/9-cat)

Devin Booker, on a year-to-year basis, is about as consistent as they come. Consider the following per game averages over the last six seasons:

Points: 26.6, 26.6, 25.6, 26.8, 27.8, 27.1

Steals: 0.9, 0.9, 0.7, 0.8, 1.1, 1.0, 0.9

Rebounds: 4.1, 4.2, 4.2, 5.0, 4.5, 4.5

FT%: 86.6, 91.9, 86.7, 86.8, 85.5, 88.6

3PTM: 2.1, 2.0, 1.9, 2.7, 2.1, 2.2

FG%: 46.7, 48.9, 48.4, 46.6, 49.4, 49.2

The one category that he has seen a ton of variance is assists: 6.8, 6.5, 4.3, 4.8, 5.5, 6.9

In those first two seasons (2018-19 and 2019-20), Booker was asked to do more playmaking as the Suns lacked a true point guard. In 2020-21, the Suns brought in some point guard named Chris Paul and we see the assists dropped. We saw Booker settle in and really do well with CP3 in that fourth season with the 5.0 boards and 2.7 triples made per game. In 2022-23 year, Paul only played in 59 games, forcing more playmaking out of Booker. This year, Point Booker was back to the tune of a career-high 6.9 assists per game, though the initial plan was for Beal to run point prior to his injury troubles.

Booker never lost the ability to drop dimes and be a facilitator. He just was not asked to do it when the Point God was on his team.

As long as Point Booker gets to play with Scorer Booker, then Devin Booker will be a solid second-round 9-cat fantasy asset. And with almost no flexibility to change the roster, Booker’s role as a primary facilitator is rock solid.

ADP: N/A / N/A (ESPN/Yahoo) | Total Value: 52/43 (8/9-cat) | Per-Game Value: 77/58 (8/9-cat)

So, you picked up Allen early in the year, probably as a stream. Then you dropped him and watch him float around from team-to-team as a hot stream, before a manager finally said, Is this the real life? Is this just fantasy?

And decided it was real. Don’t ya wish your streamer was a hold like him? Did you just sing that to the Pussycat Dolls song? Good.

Did you drop him after using him as an early stream? Womp. Womp.

Allen posted career-highs in minutes played, field goals made, field goals attempted, field goal percentage, triples made, 3-point percentage, effective field goal percentage, rebounds, assists, points and blocks. He only tied a career-high in steals per game.

Oh well. The question managers are asking themselves, how much of this is real and will carry over into next year?

I think it is safe the answer is yes. Well, to an extent. The first, and most obvious point is, this was the first time we have seen this kind of sustained success from Allen. Ever. We cannot point and say Allen has regained a previous form. This previous form never existed in his NBA career. The second is that Allen probably wouldn’t have been quite as involved if Bradley Beal had a regular season.

Next, we need to consider his numbers starting on March 23. It was bad. Very bad. Yeah, his minutes were down some (33.0 to 30.2) that does not explain the drop all the way to just No.150. He went down in:

• Points – 13.3 to 11.2
• Triples – 2.8 to 1.8
• Assists – 3.1 to 2.2
• Blocks – 0.6 to 0.2
• FG% – 47.2% to 44.0%

What possibly explains this drop? The only speculation I can offer is he did miss one game with left hip soreness on April 3 and maybe he just payed through some injury. It seems more likely that Allen ran out of gas with the stress of his newfound workload catching up to his body.

While there is no doubt Allen should be drafted next year, I would caution heavily against drafting him at the value we saw this year. A sudden jump to a 46.1% 3-point percentage and a 49.9% FG% does not seem super likely to return. However, the drop off will not be so bad that he should not be trusted to be drafted inside the top-100, or maybe a touch earlier.

ADP: 60.5/81.3 (ESPN/Yahoo) | Total Value: 110/130 (8/9-cat) | Per-Game Value: 51/72 (8/9-cat)

Bradley Beal had a very rough start to his tenure in Phoenix. After playing the first three games, Beal only played six games up until December 29. From then up until February 1, Beal was a real drain on 9-cat rosters, ranking outside the top-150.

However, starting on February 1, he was a top-50 9-cat asset on a per game basis. He went from shooting 48.8/74.6/34.7 to 52.2/88.2/48.4. No matter how good we think NBA players are, it does not matter who you are — when you go to a new team, there will be growing pains. For Beal, he was able to settle in nicely and really step it up for the Suns and fantasy managers down the stretch.

Those shooting splits from February 1 on would be career-highs for Beal. In that run he was able to post counting stats much more aligned with his career numbers: 18.7 points, 2.3 triples, 4.2 rebounds, 5.4 assists and 1.1 steals per game.

His contract is one of the largest albatrosses in the NBA. There are two years left of the deal and he is owed $103.8 million over the next two seasons, with a $57.1 million player option for the 2026-27 season. Making matters worse is a no-trade clause. It is hard to imagine a scenario in which any team (that Beal would accept a trade, too), would take Beal on their roster.

In other words, Beal is going to run it back with Durant and Booker and if the end of the season is any indication, that may not be a bad thing, at least from a fantasy perspective. His ADP from last year (the Yahoo one) does seem fair for managers to try and catch the magic from the final portion of the year.

ADP: 104.1/114.7 (ESPN/Yahoo) | Total Value: 66/84 (8/9-cat) | Per-Game Value: 94/112 (8/9-cat)

He was able to play in 76 games and provide managers with beautiful total value for roto leagues after playing in 8, 37, 56, and 52 games over the previous four seasons. Nurkic was able to provide the Suns with a big man that could keep the ball moving for their stars to play off of, as well as a much more capable defender than Ayton ever was. He averaged 4.0 assists per game this year, the second time he has reached that milestone. Now that Nurkic is playing alongside elite scoring (Durant, Booker, Beal) he can provide managers with some nice out-of-position dimes.

He also showed off his rebounding upside, averaging 11.0 rebounds per game, the second time he has his at least 11.0 boards per game (2021-22 was the last time). He was tenth in defensive rebounding percentage and fifth in overall rebounding percentage.

Defensively, Nurkic was able to make a difference. He held shooters to under 50% on two-point attempts, including just 51.7% from within 10 feet of the basket, significantly better than Ayton’s 56.8% allowed. It is even better than Joel Embiid, Brook Lopez, Jarrett Allen and All-Defensive First-Team member, Anthony Davis. For fantasy purposes, Nurkic was able to secure 1.1 steals and 1.1 blocks per game. However, he did have a notable dropoff starting on March 1.

Before March 1, he was a top-100 dude, averaging 11.9 points, 10.4 boards, 3.7 assists, 1.0 steals, 1.0 blocks, 51.5 FG% and a 67.2 FT%.

After March 1, he was just barely inside the top-150, with a considerable drop off in points (8.2), FG% (49.4) and FT% (52.7). This was also 25 total games played, so it was not a small sample size.

Ultimately, the numbers he posted before March 1 are more aligned with his career marks so there should not be too much cause for concern. Going into draft season, Nurkic will probably cost you a pick in the ninth-to-11th range and I will not be scared to take him at that price point.

ADP: 144.9/139.2 (ESPN/Yahoo) | Total Value: 125/113 (8/9-cat) | Per-Game Value: 175/161 (8/9-cat)

O’Neale is a more valuable real basketball asset than he is a fantasy one. A legitimate 3-and-D wing, he was a luxury on a bad Brooklyn team but a popular name on the trade market. He ended up dealt to Phoenix as a great fit on a paper-thin roster. In his time as a Sun, he led the regular role players in defensive rating, posting a 106.3 mark. That was the strength behind his team-leading net rating of 9.4 as he was defending the deep ball at a 34.9% clip and held the mid-range jumpers in the ballpark of 37%.

Unfortunately for fantasy managers, he does not get a ton of deflections as his defensive counting stats do not reflect his defensive value; O’Neale averages less than one steal and less than a half a block per game for his career.

O’Neale is an unrestricted free agent this year and the Suns do own his Bird rights. As pointed out by Bobby Marks of ESPN, re-signing him to a deal in the ballpark of his pay this year ($9.5 million) would mean a luxury tax hit of an additional $55 million. However, the Suns may not have a choice and their is owner is very rich. In any event, O’Neale is only fantasy viable (in standard 12-team 9-cat roto leagues) when he is able to secure a starting spot in the rotation while playing at least 32 or so minutes per night. If he stays in Phoenix, that would not happen until there was an injury to one of the starting four wings/guards (Booker, Durant, Beal, Allen).

ADP: 139.1/140.4 (ESPN/Yahoo) | Total Value: 153/145 (8/9-cat) | Per-Game Value: 168/162 (8/9-cat)

With Gordon entering his age-36 season having a player option of $3.3 million, the money is not big enough to force his hand to stay. Gordon is ring hunting and may not see the Suns as the way to obtaining that ring, especially considering their inability to improve the roster. Where he ends up next year is anybody’s guess.

Air Gordon is still a solid basketball player. He shot above his career numbers in both FG% (career: 43.0%, this year: 44.3) and 3-point FG% (career 37.1%, this year: 37.8%). However, due to his diminished role, he tied his career-low of 11.0 points per game. There was streaming appeal, especially when Beal missed most of the first half of the season, but even then it was low-end stuff.

Fantasy wise, there is no doubt his most valuable years are in the rear-view mirror. He is not seeking a starting gig anywhere and will likely end up as a bench player for some contender. Unfortunately for managers, that is not a recipe for fantasy viability. Unless he shocks us all and goes to a team that will offer him a significant role, Gordon probably should not be drafted in 12-team 9-cat formats. He might be viable in points leagues, however,

ADP: N/A / N/A (ESPN/Yahoo) | Total Value: 217/214 (8/9-cat) | Per-Game Value: 288/289 (8/9-cat)

Eubanks was supposed to come in and secure the backup five spot in the rotation but was unable to play well enough and consistently enough to do that. As a result, he never saw his role climb above the 15 minutes per night threshold. He did well to average 0.8 blocks per game, but that only generated modest specialist appeal. We did get a glimpse of what he can do in 2021-22 when he was sent over to Portland; he averaged 29.5 minutes per night and shot 64.6% from the field, plus 8.5 boards, 1.3 stocks (steals and blocks) and 14.5 points. Those are not awful numbers and it gives us a good idea of what his ceiling looks like — when he gets the playing time. And at age 27, his growth as a player has probably hit a peak.

As of now, there is no reason to believe that a team is going to sign him to be their starting center. Until that happens, Eubanks can be left off rosters in the vast majority of drafts. He’s a serviceable backup but it will take a few breaks to get him on the fantasy radar.

ADP: 136.1/137.3 (ESPN/Yahoo) | Total Value: 320/306 (8/9-cat) | Per-Game Value: 321/298 (8/9-cat)

Bol Bol was thought to be in the running to lock down a role on the second unit and he was not able to do that, cracking 20 minutes in a game just four times. Despite showing some promise in Orlando in the previous season, Bol took a step back and never really found his way past Drew Eubanks for the backup center role, only getting minutes by outlasting the low-cost forwards Phoenix signed in free agency. So far for his career, the story has been that Bol has a ton of talent and upside but can’t find a way to tap into it.

In Orlando, before joining the Suns, Bol was able to be a nice source of rebounds and blocks in just over 20 minutes per night. He won’t get enough minutes to achieve that number as a Sun but if he signs somewhere he can get the chance to show his upside, then maybe he can achieve fantasy viability. To be considered more than just a specialist stream for those blocks and boards, Bol will need to find a significant role of at least 28-30 minutes per night. That’s also what will have to happen before fantasy managers should put him on their rosters.

ADP: N/A/N/A (ESPN/Yahoo) | Total Value: 352/343 (8/9-cat) | Per-Game Value: 336/312 (8/9-cat)

Thaddeus Young was brought in on the buyout market after beginning the season a Raptor. Bringing in Young made sense as his play style as a center was closer to their starter, Jusuf Nurkic as they both have decent passing abilities and would not allow the ball to stay stagnant. Young even showed that if he were to be given minutes, he can be 9-cat, 12-team viable with a stretch of play in January for the Raptors. However, Young is no longer young and he is entering his age-37 season.

He will be ring hunting in the offseason and is unlikely to sign with a team that can offer him a fantasy-relevant role.

ADP: N/A/N/A (ESPN/Yahoo) | Total Value: 272/269 (8/9-cat) | Per-Game Value: 330/319 (8/9-cat)

After being a first-round pick in the 2018 draft, Okogie came into the league as a 19-year-old with excellent athleticism, strength and a massive 7-foot wingspan to give him the defensive upside most NBA teams are looking for. Unfortunately, he is now 25 and will be 26 next season. While he had his best 3-point shooting season in the previous campaign (33.5%), he was not able to build on it as his percentage dropped to 30.9%. He lost out on his starting spot when the Suns acquired Allen, and bringing in Gordon put another player in his path for minutes.

Okogie represents a microcosm of the problem the Suns have. They do not have quality role players or enough shooting to help space the floor for their key players. Okogie is entering a point in his career where he is probably not going to earn a large enough role on any NBA team to be considered a fantasy option.

ADP: 139.8/136.5 (ESPN/Yahoo) | Total Value: 300/317 (8/9-cat) | Per-Game Value: 371/932 (8/9-cat)

A first-round pick by the Grizzlies in 2022, Roddy has began his career struggling to find his shot and was traded to Phoenix as a part of the Royce O’Neale deal. At 6-foot-4, 255 pounds, Roddy has the size to be a mismatch if the other team puts a guard on him but has the athleticism to beat most of the big men of the NBA. His potential as an NBA player is far from dead, despite his inability to piece it together so far.

Roddy did improve dramatically as a 3-point shooter at Colorado State, ending his career with a 43.8% clip from deep in his final year, after shooting 27.8% and 19.5% from deep in his first two college seasons. He has a massive wingspan at almost 7-feet so the physical tools are there for him to be a good defender. He did show he can find his shot while he was a Colorado State. He has played in just two seasons so he can still develop and grow as a player.

The Suns may see him as a potentially cheap and in-house option to help provide depth off the bench that was sorely missed. He may not be worth a draft pick in standard sized leagues but he is someone worth monitoring. If he starts to turn it on early next year, he might be a nice waiver wire addition.

ADP: N/A/N/A (ESPN/Yahoo) | Total Value: 375/368 (8/9-cat) | Per-Game Value: 435/419(8/9-cat)

Little began the year with a role in the rotation, but injuries plagued him and he never really was able to regain his spot in the rotation. He did hit 36.7% from deep in his final season with the Blazers and people were hopeful he could build on that.

Nope.

He shot just 30.1% from deep this season as he rode the pine for most of the year. Going into the NBA, people knew he was a boom or bust kind of prospect. Tons of physical tools (7-foot-1 wingspan, 8-foot-9 standing reach) to turn into an explosive NBA player but we have yet to really see it manifest itself in the NBA. Unfortunately, the Suns might be stuck with him as he has three years and over $21 million left on the deal he signed with Portland last offseason. It will be hard to get another team to take on Little’s contract without attaching draft compensation.

In terms of fantasy, unless Little actually starts to produce, managers can safely ignore him in drafts.

ADP: N/A/N/A (ESPN/Yahoo) | Total Value: 482/478 (8/9-cat) | Per-Game Value: 466/454 (8/9-cat)

Since coming into the league in 2021 after playing overseas out of college, Wainright has been trying to fight and claw his way on to an NBA roster. He got some opportunity in 2022-23 but has yet to find his way back. He is a big and physical wing that has the tools but has yet to prove himself on an NBA court for a full season. He is going to 30 next year so things are not looking too good for him. Fantasy managers do not need to worry about him. It’s a positive that he ended up back in Phoenix, where he had some runs as a small-ball center in past seasons, after falling out of favor in Portland.

 

ADP: N/A/N/A (ESPN/Yahoo) | Total Value: 445/450 (8/9-cat) | Per-Game Value: 483/476 (8/9-cat)

Lee is just another aging prospect taking up one of the Suns’ roster spots. He was a second round pick in 2020 and is already 25 years old. Coming out of Vanderbilt where he starred along side Aaron Nesmith, Lee was profiled to be an electric playmaker with quickness and ball-handling skills to drive into the paint and score. He got some run as a Piston to begin his NBA career but since then, he has been relegated to mop up duty after his FG% dropped to an abysmal 39% in his second season. At his age, this seems like a make or break season for him. We can all root for him to figure it out, but we will root for him as he sits on our waiver wire.

ADP: N/A/N/A (ESPN/Yahoo) | Total Value: 505/514 (8/9-cat) | Per-Game Value: 531/533 (8/9-cat)

Hey look, another mid-20s prospect at the end of the Suns bench. Azubuike has yet to get a crack at significant NBA minutes, topping out at only 11.5 minutes per game as a member of  the Jazz. Playing in Kansas, he  averaged 2.6 blocks per game and 10.5 boards in his final season as looked like a solid rebounding and rim-protecting big man. His physical tools made NBA talent evaluators drool with his 37-inch standing vertical leap and 7-foot-7 wingspan. However, he has yet to make an NBA rotation and should not be on any fantasy radar.

ADP: N/A/N/A (ESPN/Yahoo) | Total Value: 553/542 (8/9-cat) | Per-Game Value: 554/543 (8/9-cat)

Out of the league since 2021-22, Thomas started his return the NBA when he signed with the Suns in mid-March. He played sparingly and, as of now, does not look to have much of a chance at cracking an NBA rotation, something he has not done since starting 37 games for the Wizards in 2019-20. It would be a fun and feel-good story if he did make it on an NBA roster next season, but that story does not need to include your fantasy team.

Fantasy Star

It has to be Grayson Allen. He went largely undrafted in most leagues and ended up giving managers fourth-round, 9-vat total value. He was one of the few names this year that was a legit league-winning add off the waiver wire. Next season, I do fear his price might be too high for a repeat in terms of pure value. His FG% this season just blew all of his previous marks out the water, and again, got extra looks with Beal missing for most of the year. The two 9-cat numbers that are the most fluky and will drag his ranking down are his FG% being at almost 50% and his 0.6 blocks per game. Also, his exceptional 46.1% from deep is way above and beyond his career totals. While I do not think he should go undrafted again, it would be foolish to draft him in the top-50 or even top-75, especially with the disappointing way he finished the year.

But for now, let us celebrate Allen and thank him for gifting managers so much value on the cheap.

Here’s to you, Grayson. Hopefully you will prove me wrong and do it again.

Hopefully.

Fantasy Letdown

This is a cheap answer, but of the dudes on the roster, it is the glaringly correct answer: Bradley Beal. This was mainly due to injury and lack of availability. And then when he finally was able to see the court, it took him a little bit to get acclimated and find his role in the offense. Before the calendar flipped to February, Beal was ranked outside the top-150 on the year. He was able to turn it on and deliver top-50 value for the rest of the season, but most managers who had him were already in a deep hole.

He should be a decent fit offensively for the Suns. He is effective off the ball, shooting 43.6% from deep on the catch-and-shoot from deep. He can do the point guard thing better than he showed this year. His assist rate was down to 21% as he averaged 5.0 dimes this year but has been as high 30% in years past, with him getting 6.0 dimes per game as the leader in Washington. With a full year under his belt with his new teammates, there is good reason to believe that his assists will only  improve as he continues to build chemistry with players like KD and Booker.

One to Watch

I am going to go with Kevin Durant. He is going into his age 36 season and he finished this year on a very uninspiring note. After the All-Star break, Durant was not his usual self. He was barely a third-round dude, and while that is not THAT bad, for KD, it is. When you draft someone as high as we draft KD, the expectation is for him to deliver elite 9-cat production throughout the entire season. Now we have an aging superstar with a history of injury issues, coming off one of his highest workload seasons since he entered the league. He spent most of his Warriors days hovering around 33-34 minutes per game. Brooklyn pushed him to 37 minutes per game in just 55 appearances in 2021-22 but this season was the first year since 2013-14 that he played in both 70-plus games and 37-plus minutes per night. I will be watching to see if his workload decreases any next year; if it does not decrease, how does his body and production hold up over the course of the year?

One Burning Question

How will the Suns add depth to the roster? In terms of talent and finances, this team is extremely top-heavy. Owner Mat Ishbia seems hellbent on keeping the core of Booker-Durant-Beal-Allen together as a roster teardown seems unlikely. What they owe to Booker-Beal-Durant (only) would be more than 14 teams’ payroll (via Bobby Marks on ESPN). As I mentioned earlier, if they decide to bring back O’Neale and he accepts a payday at around the same amount from this year, his approximately $10 million salary will be $60 million+ after the luxury tax penalty is included.

They are a second-apron team, which severely limits what they can do to build their roster. They cannot use their mid-level exception nor their trade exception from the Cam Payne trade. They cannot take on any cash and they can’t send any cash out. They also cannot combine salaries in a trade and they are not allowed to a sign-and-trade.

Those second apron restrictions are no joke, y’all.

In-house options are a bit scarce. Guys like Okogie, Wainright and Little are at a point in their respective careers that the odds of them figuring it out and becoming legit NBA role players is slim-to-none. Their one big shot to improve the roster will come on draft night, which is when they will finally be allowed to potentially trade their 22nd overall pick. Maybe the Suns can pair that up with the contract of Little tobring in a bench piece (remember, they can’t combine other players).

The only player they have that still has a chance to grow into a better player is probably David Roddy. He is still just 23 and this was just his second year in the league. His big frame and pure talent give him a foundation to build off of but unless that shot comes around, he will not fit on this roster.

The Suns HAVE to do something. Doing nothing means they are counting on All-NBA level play for 82 games plus the playoffs from Beal-Durant-Booker. It will require Allen to play out of his mind, again, and for the rest of the team to scrape by in any minutes where only one All-Star is on the floor. While none of that is impossible, the odds are not in their favor.

[/wcm_restric