{"id":82532,"date":"2024-06-26T08:00:52","date_gmt":"2024-06-26T12:00:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/?p=82532"},"modified":"2024-06-26T01:37:33","modified_gmt":"2024-06-26T05:37:33","slug":"2024-nba-offseason-preview-whats-next-for-the-phoenix-suns","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2024\/06\/26\/2024-nba-offseason-preview-whats-next-for-the-phoenix-suns\/","title":{"rendered":"2024 NBA Offseason Preview: What\u2019s Next For The Phoenix Suns?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The Phoenix Suns have an intriguing 2024 offseason as they try to improve upon last year. How will Mike Budenholzer manage The Valley\u2019s Big Three? With Frank Vogel <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2024\/05\/09\/phoenix-suns-make-frank-vogel-decision\/\" target=\"_self\">being fired<\/a> after just one season as Head Coach, it\u2019s clear <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/j\/jonesja02.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-06-26_bbr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">James Jones<\/a> has higher aspirations than getting swept in the first round. Now with a new leader at the helm, the team will attempt to make an NBA Finals run.<\/p>\n<h2>2024 NBA Offseason Preview: What\u2019s Next For The Phoenix Suns?<br \/>\nSeason Recap<\/h2>\n<p>After going all-in and trading for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/b\/bealbr01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-06-26_bbr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Bradley Beal<\/a>, expectations were high for the Phoenix Suns heading into the 2023-24 NBA season. Their win total over\/under was<a  href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/teams\/PHO\/2024.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"> 51.5<\/a>, but they went just 49-33. With the <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/contracts\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">third-highest<\/a> team payroll throughout the league, it was assumed that the Suns would finish higher than 6th in the West. Teams like the Thunder, Clippers, and Mavericks all finished higher in the standings, yet were nowhere near the top as far as league payroll. While the Western Conference was loaded, that doesn\u2019t excuse their disappointing first-round playoff exit. Their Big-3 only played 41 regular season games together out of 82. It\u2019s tough to build chemistry when your three stars only play half the regular season together. Throw in a new coach and a top-heavy roster, and you have a recipe for disaster.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Where Do The Phoenix Suns Go from Here? | JJ Redick\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/1NiAltMrhMk?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h4>On The Bright Side<\/h4>\n<p>To call last season a failure would be incorrect. Most teams would be happy with a 49-33 record and a playoff appearance. However, the Suns are not like most teams. James Jones has <a href=\"https:\/\/www.si.com\/nba\/suns\/news\/phoenix-suns-explain-why-they-fired-frank-vogel#:~:text=The%20Suns%20didn&#039;t%20immediately,wasn&#039;t%20one%20specific%20area.\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">reiterated<\/a> that the team has championship aspirations and anything less will not be tolerated. Fortunately, Vogel seemed to be the main problem, and he\u2019s now gone. Reports came out that players would <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/5456932\/2024\/04\/29\/phoenix-suns-season-end-frank-vogel-kevin-durant\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">laugh at<\/a> his locker room outbursts, a sign of bad chemistry. Vogel is known as a defensive-minded coach, and with the offensive firepower the team possesses they would be better off with someone like Mike D\u2019Antoni than Frank Vogel. In an\u00a0<a  href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/5494661\/2024\/05\/15\/mike-budenholzer-phoenix-suns-coach-players\/#\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">NY Times<\/a> piece highlighting how players who had been coached by Budenholzer felt about him, NBA Veteran DJ Augustin had a very interesting quote. He detailed how Bud and Vogel are \u201ccomplete opposites\u201d.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u201cThe trees that they come from are totally different,\u201d Hill said. \u201cCoach Bud, coming from probably, if not <em>the<\/em> greatest coach in history, one of the greatest coaches ever (in Popovich), so he has that experience, that foundation. Where Frank Vogel was a grind-out coach. He came from the film room, at the bottom of the list, and worked his butt off to get to where he\u2019s at today. The way they approach things, the way they look at things is the complete opposite.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<h3>Projected Cap Space and Draft Picks<\/h3>\n<h4>Over the Second Apron<\/h4>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">The Suns are over the <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">NBA\u2019s<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> new<a  href=\"https:\/\/www.spotrac.com\/nba\/cap\/_\/year\/2024\/sort\/cap_maximum_space\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u00a0second apron<\/a> tax penalty, which comes with several restrictions. Boston and Minnesota are the only other franchises stuck over the second apron, but both teams are in a far better position than Phoenix right now. <\/span>Teams are hard-capped at the Second Apron and cannot use Tax MLE. Furthermore, they cannot combine two or more player salaries in a trade, send out cash in a trade, or acquire a player using a TPE that was created via a previous sign-and-trade. They\u2019re only able to re-sign their own free agents and draft picks or sign players to<\/p>\n<h4>22nd Overall Pick<\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li><a  href=\"https:\/\/www.sports-reference.com\/cbb\/players\/tyler-kolek-1.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Tyler Kolek<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a  href=\"https:\/\/www.sports-reference.com\/cbb\/players\/kj-simpson-1.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">KJ Simpson<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a  href=\"https:\/\/www.sports-reference.com\/cbb\/players\/bronny-james-1.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Bronny James<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Ever since <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/p\/paulch01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-06-26_bbr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Chris Paul<\/a> left town things haven\u2019t been the same. A solid point guard is a necessity for any championship team, no matter how much offensive firepower they possess. Which is why <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2024\/05\/20\/tyler-kolek-2024-nba-draft-profile\/\" target=\"_self\">Tyler Kolek<\/a> makes so much sense. Kolek led the nation in <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.ncaa.com\/stats\/basketball-men\/d1\/current\/individual\/605\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">assists<\/a> his senior year at Marquette, with 7.7 per game, proving he\u2019s a floor general . At 23 he\u2019s old for a draft pick, but with age comes wisdom and that makes him more league-ready than his draft peers.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Tyler Kolek - 2024 NBA Draft Scouting Highlights - Marquette\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/zbw4ijxr4CE?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Despite how perfectly Kolek would fit with the team, <a  href=\"https:\/\/sports.yahoo.com\/with-bulls-roster-shakeup-underway-is-zach-lavine-the-next-piece-on-the-move-150136313.html?utm_content=buffer2e944&amp;utm_medium=social&amp;utm_source=twitter.com&amp;utm_campaign=buffer\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">they\u2019ve been rumored<\/a> to be trading down in an attempt to acquire draft capital after they ravaged theirs in the Beal and Durant trades. Also, there were talks of Phoenix drafting Bronny James to try and coax LeBron into joining the Suns, but <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.foxsports.com\/stories\/nba\/agent-rich-paul-bronny-james-lebron-arent-package-deal-lakers-suns\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Rich Paul<\/a> quickly shut down those rumors. Still, Bronny is the one who will be drafted, and at the end of the day, it\u2019s his decision where he signs. If Phoenix does trade up they could potentially get Kolek and Bronny.<\/p>\n<p>Another good draft target for the Suns would be former Colorado Buff <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2024\/06\/05\/kj-simpson-2024-nba-draft-profile\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">KJ Simpson<\/a>. At six-foot-two and 175 pounds, he may need to add to his frame to last in the NBA, but Simpson is oozing with potential. He was ranked 7th in <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.sports-reference.com\/cbb\/seasons\/men\/2024-leaders.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">win shares<\/a> with 7.2 and was 6th in total points produced with <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.sports-reference.com\/cbb\/seasons\/men\/2024-leaders.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">722<\/a>. One essential trait about Simpson is his fearlessness, in big moments he shines and he doesn\u2019t see a shot he doesn\u2019t like. He put together a solid season at Colorado, alongside big man <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2024\/05\/28\/orange-transfer-eddie-lampkin-jr-expanding-his-game\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">Eddie Lampkin<\/a>, and first-round picks <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.sports-reference.com\/cbb\/players\/cody-williams-2.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Cody Williams,<\/a> and <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.sports-reference.com\/cbb\/players\/tristan-dasilva-1.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Tristan Da Silva.<\/a> The team went 26-11 and made it to the second round of the NCAA Tournament.<\/p>\n<h3>\u00a0Pending Free Agents and Possible Departures<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/e\/eubandr01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-06-26_bbr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Drew Eubanks<\/a> (Player Option)<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/g\/gordoer01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-06-26_bbr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Eric Gordon<\/a> (Player Option)<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/l\/leeda03.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-06-26_bbr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Damion Lee<\/a> (Player Option)<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/o\/okogijo01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-06-26_bbr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Josh Okogie<\/a> (Player Option)<\/li>\n<li><a  href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/o\/onealro01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Royce O\u2019Neal<\/a>e (Unrestricted)<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/r\/roddyda01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-06-26_bbr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">David Roddy<\/a> (Team Option)<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/b\/bolbo01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-06-26_bbr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Bol Bol<\/a> (Unrestricted)<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/a\/azubuud01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-06-26_bbr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Udoka Azubuike<\/a> (Unrestricted)<\/li>\n<li><a  href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/w\/wainris01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Ish Wainright<\/a> (Restricted)<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/t\/thomais02.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-06-26_bbr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Isaiah Thomas<\/a> (Unrestricted)<\/li>\n<li>\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/l\/leesa01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-06-26_bbr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Saben Lee<\/a> (Restricted)<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/y\/youngth01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-06-26_bbr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Thaddeus Young<\/a> (Unrestricted)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The only names that really matter here are O\u2019Neale, Gordon, Lee, and Roddy. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.si.com\/nba\/suns\/news\/insider-does-not-expect-eric-gordon-return-phoenix-suns#:~:text=PHOENIX%20%2D%2D%20Don&#039;t%20expect,for%20the%202024%2D25%20season.\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Gordon<\/a>, along with Drew Eubanks, has made it clear he won\u2019t be returning to Phoenix. <a  href=\"https:\/\/bleacherreport.com\/articles\/10125827-nba-rumors-suns-expected-to-target-royce-oneale-kris-dunn-contracts-in-free-agency\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Reports<\/a> have said that the Suns will be re-signing O\u2019Neal, and Damion Lee will be back with the team next year as well.<\/p>\n<p>Roddy should be a good 3-and-D player for the Suns, as an essential role player off the bench. It would be smart of them to accept his team option, especially at that salary considering the current market. If Josh Okogie is smart he\u2019ll take his player option. Testing his value on the market would be risky considering his limited skill set. Bol, Azubuike, Lee, and Wainwright will likely be let go as a culture reset with new coach Mike Budenholzer. Young and Thomas are serviceable veterans, but there are better players in free agency and neither of the two are getting any younger.<\/p>\n<h3>Realistic Offseason Targets<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li><a  href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/b\/beverpa01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Patrick Beverley<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/n\/nowelja01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-06-26_bbr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Jaylen Nowell<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/f\/flynnma01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-06-26_bbr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Malachi Flynn<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Patrick Beverley\u00a0is the guy you hate to play against, but love playing with. Wherever Pat Bev goes his energy radiates, and as a defensive floor general he can provide a great morale boost. Vets are a necessary part of a locker room. They hold young players and stars accountable, and that might be the shakeup the Suns need. Now that Mike Budenholzer is in charge he\u2019ll need his vets to keep guys in line. Who could be more fit for the role than Beverly?<\/p>\n<p>Jaylen Nowell struggled to find a permanent home last season. He\u2019s still young, and put up some of the best numbers of his career during his limited playing time in 2023-24. For some reason, teams don\u2019t heavily value Nowell. Yet, his 3-point shot-making and ability to bring the ball up are 2 essentials for point guards. On a minimum contract, Nowell would be valuable, and if the Suns don\u2019t take a chance on him surely some team will.<\/p>\n<p>Malachi Flynn, known for his 50-point eruption while playing for the Pistons last season, is a free agent. Flynn was uncoveted, and Toronto traded him to the \u00a0Knicks, where he never cracked Thib\u2019s rotation. He got some run as a Piston, but that team wasn\u2019t the most talented and it\u2019s hard to gauge his talent when his teammates and coach were so inept. Flynn could certainly help the Suns off the bench as a microwave scorer. His ability to get red-hot should scare any opposing defense.<\/p>\n<h4>Trade Targets<\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/k\/krejcvi01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-06-26_bbr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Vit Krejci<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/c\/conlemi01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-06-26_bbr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Mike Conley<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Krejci thrived in the G-league and showed he has what it takes to be a rotation-level player in the NBA. Stepping up when the Hawks were ridden with injuries, Krejci isn\u2019t the best point guard. But he plays hard and gets his teammates involved. At six-foot-eight he can see the whole floor, providing him with a passing instinct greater than his peers.<\/p>\n<p>Mike Conley recently signed with the Timberwolves \u00a0But after their playoff exit, the team must be considering what parts to move or change. Conley could be seen as a liability for the Wolves. He\u2019s aging with a contract through 2025-26, and the Wolves don\u2019t have much for a point guard outside of Conley. If Phoenix moves up in the draft as previously mentioned, they could nab Bronny James, who Minnesota has been <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2024\/06\/19\/bronny-james-draft-prospects-five-teams-showing-interest\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">rumored<\/a> to be very interested in.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Phoenix Suns have an intriguing 2024 offseason as they try to improve upon last year. How will Mike Budenholzer manage The Valley\u2019s Big Three? With Frank Vogel being fired after just one season as Head Coach, it\u2019s clear James Jones has higher aspirations than getting swept in the first round. Now with a new [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5164,"featured_media":83057,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"1","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1608,62,28],"tags":[311,132,1872,69,550,49265],"class_list":["post-82532","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-basketball","category-nba","category-suns","tag-bradley-beal","tag-frank-vogel","tag-james-jones","tag-kevin-durant","tag-mike-budenholzer","tag-nba-off-season-previews"],"modified_by":"Eamon Cassels, Editor","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/82532","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5164"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=82532"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/82532\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/83057"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=82532"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=82532"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=82532"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}