Previewing the Phoenix Suns for the 2026-27 Season
The Suns are coming off a very impressive season. Although the team collapsed in the postseason and got swept by the Oklahoma City Thunder, winning 45 games in Year 1 under Jordan Ott was not expected, and last season helped set the tone for what the future of this organization could look like.
They did not have a really chaotic offseason. They definitely made some tweaks that could end up being helpful, and they have expectations that they can remain a competitive team in the Western Conference.
The Roster
Point Guards — Collin Gillespie, Jordan Goodwin, Jamaree Bouyea, Pat Spencer (Two-Way Contract)
Shooting Guards — Devin Booker, Jalen Green, Luke Kennard, Koby Brea (Two-Way Contract)
Small Forwards — Dillon Brooks, Ryan Dunn, Haywood Highsmith
Power Forwards — Miles Bridges, Rasheer Fleming, Koa Peat, CJ Huntley (Two-Way Contract)
Centers — Mark Williams, Khaman Maluach, Oso Ighodaro, Duop Reath
The roster is pretty similar to last season. Adding Miles Bridges should give them a nice offensive boost and also helps fill a void at the power forward position.
The point guard room is also about the same. They brought back Jordan Goodwin and Collin Gillespie, but Devin Booker will also likely be running a good amount of point guard for this team.
Koa Peat is another intriguing rookie who definitely still needs to develop his game, but he is a very athletic forward and could end up being a nice depth piece for the team in Year 1.
Biggest Questions
I think a major question surrounding this team is whether the young talent can continue to develop.
Players like Ryan Dunn and Rasheer Fleming are high-upside players for this group and will most likely only get better. The bigger one, though, is Khaman Maluach.
Maluach did not play much during his rookie season, but he has made some major strides this offseason and could even compete with Mark Williams for high-level minutes. I do not believe he will start at center early in the season, but there is no question he should be in the rotation. As the season progresses, maybe he could even move into a larger role.
Maluach has sky-high potential, and it will be very intriguing to see how he looks in Year 2.
Another major question, like I touched on, is the addition of Miles Bridges.
Jordan Ott, Brian Gregory, and owner Mat Ishbia all have Michigan State ties, and now they have brought in the former MSU star. This is a player those three are very familiar with, and they may be able to put Miles Bridges in one of the best situations of his career to thrive.
Having Rasheer Fleming behind him as the clear backup power forward could also put more pressure on Bridges because Fleming still needs to improve his game drastically.
I believe Miles Bridges can average 20+ points in this role with the Suns and have one of the best seasons of his career, if not the best.
Another weakness on this roster is the point guard room once again.
Collin Gillespie definitely had a solid season last year, but his play is still below average compared to starting point guards around the NBA. With high-upside offensive players in the starting lineup around Devin Booker, such as Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks, and now Miles Bridges, Gillespie will need to utilize his playmaking abilities even more.
Gillespie mainly needs to be gritty, take care of the ball, and help run the offense. He did a pretty good job of doing that last year, but it still needs to improve.
Jordan Goodwin will also need to be efficient in that backup role for the Suns to be successful. If the point guard room struggles, the Suns will almost definitely be searching for another answer before the trade deadline, as this is probably the weakest position overall on the roster.
Prediction Markets
Some of the current future betting lines for the Suns are as follows:
Regular-season win total: 40.5
To win the NBA Finals: +20000 (20th-best odds)
To win the Western Conference: +7000 (9th-best odds)
To reach the Conference Finals: +2500 (9th-best odds)
To reach the Conference Semifinals: +600 (9th-best odds)
To win the division: +265 (2nd-best odds)
To make the playoffs: -120
To miss the playoffs: +100
To participate in the Play-In: -125
To win the NBA Cup: +6000 (18th-best odds)
These odds are around the lower-middle portion of the NBA.
They are projecting the Suns to finish somewhere around the 8-10 seed range and participate in the Play-In Tournament.
The win total surprises me a little bit, as it is just under .500 for a team that won 45 games last season and, in my opinion, slightly improved its roster this offseason.
Final Prediction and Outlook
I believe the Suns have a higher ceiling than most people think heading into this season.
Having Devin Booker, who is still a superstar in this league, will always give this team a chance to make the playoffs and potentially become a serious threat once they get there.
Last season was a very good year for the team, and I think they established a strong culture under Jordan Ott. From here, I think the trajectory should continue to move upward as the young talent develops and the overall roster continues to improve.
Like I said, I also believe this roster is slightly better than it was last season.
The Suns should be one of the better teams in the Western Conference this year.
Final Prediction
48-34 — 4 Seed — Second-Round Exit
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