The Phoenix Suns were one of the NBA’s most massive disappointments of last season. The big three of Kevin Durant , Devin Booker and Bradley Beal failed to find their footing and were swept by Anthony Edwards and the Minnesota Timberwolves in the opening round of the Western Conference playoffs.
Durant and Booker are returning to the desert fresh off winning a gold medal with Team USA. Durant was one of the tournament’s stars, and Booker was the group’s “unsung hero” in Paris, which gives Phoenix some hope heading into the 2024-25 season.
Beal played only 53 games last year and averaged 18.2 points per game, the lowest he has scored since his age-22 season in 2015-16. If he can stay healthy and get more time on the court with the Suns’ other two stars, it should provide another boost.
General manager James Jones also locked up sharpshooter Grayson Allen on a new long-term deal and made one of the best under-the-radar free agent signings of the summer, adding point guard Tyus Jones. Phoenix sorely missed a true floor general last year, instead relying on Booker and Beal to carry that load.
Perhaps the most significant offseason move came on the bench as Jones fired Frank Vogel and replaced him with Mike Budenholzer, who’s long been considered one of the best offensive schemers in the NBA and has a title under his belt after leading the Milwaukee Bucks to the promised land in 2021.
Phoenix has made solid moves to improve upon last season, but based on Jones’ latest roster decisions, there may be more to come.
Phoenix Suns Release Nassir Little, EJ Liddell
The team frees up a roster spot and a bit of cash
Per Shams Charania of The Athletic, Jones made a pair of roster moves by releasing wing Nassir Little and forward EJ Liddell. As Charania points out, that gives Phoenix at least a little roster flexibility.
Liddell played eight games for the New Orleans Pelicans last year as a rookie, but he would’ve served as nothing more than end-of-the-bench depth for the Suns.
Little, the 25th overall pick of the 2019 NBA Draft by the Portland Trail Blazers , has failed to live up to expectations. A potential 3-and-D wing coming out of North Carolina, he’s averaged fewer than 20 minutes per game, averaging 5.5 points and shooting 33.0 percent from three through his first five seasons
The Suns won’t miss either of them.
Phoenix Could Be a Player in the NBA Trade Market
The Suns could potentially be a buyer this season
Versatile big man Oso Ighodaro and lockdown wing Ryan Dunn, the Suns’ two 2024 NBA Draft picks, will have a more prominent role with Little and Liddell gone, per Charania. Both rookies have additive skill sets that should bring something to Phoenix’s rotation.
But more importantly, this frees up the Suns to add an impact player, whether via trade or free agency. Tyus Jones will help balance Budenholzer’s lineup, with Allen at the shooting guard spot, Booker and Beal interchangeable on the wing, Durant at the other forward position and Jusuf Nurkic at center.
That gives the Suns a high-level six-man rotation, assuming everyone stays healthy.
How things shake out during the first few months of the season will determine what Phoenix does with this flexibility, but at least the team now has options to upgrade.
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