Where are the 2009-10 Phoenix Suns Now?
By Adam Maynes
![PHOENIX - MAY 29: The Phoenix Suns stand attended for the National Anthem before Game Six of the Western Conference finals of the 2010 NBA Playoffs against the Los Angeles Lakers at US Airways Center on May 29, 2010 in Phoenix, Arizona. The Lakers defeated the Suns 111-103. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) PHOENIX - MAY 29: The Phoenix Suns stand attended for the National Anthem before Game Six of the Western Conference finals of the 2010 NBA Playoffs against the Los Angeles Lakers at US Airways Center on May 29, 2010 in Phoenix, Arizona. The Lakers defeated the Suns 111-103. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/shape/cover/sport/9925b11b50716078cf2da53e254d8d7ff5a2f40c605ef605ff63c4ec951a9608.jpg)
Nash – Tucker
Steve Nash* – An average NBA player, Steve Nash did not impact the Phoenix Suns much. A bust, of sorts, he never lived up to the hype and expectations of a lottery pick. All teasing aside, the two-time MVP was in his sixth season back with the franchise, and at 35-year-old was still nowhere near slowing down. Making his seventh All-Star team that season, Nash led the league in assists for the fourth of five times in his career. Nash would play another two seasons after 2009-10 with the Suns, making his eighth and final All-Star team in 2012, before being traded to the Los Angeles Lakers at the age of 38, where he signed a three-year extension. Unfortunately for the Lakers but fortunately for Suns fans, due to injuries, he only played in 65 games total games over those three seasons, never even making it onto the court in 2014-15 before retiring. Now a player development consultant for the Golden State Warriors, Nash was inducted to the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2018.
Phoenix Suns
Jason Richardson* – Acquired in 2008 from the Charlotte Bobcats, 2009-10 was Jason Richardson’s only full season with the Phoenix Suns, an integral part of the franchise’s surprise run to the Western Conference Finals. Richardson was traded to the Orlando Magic midway through the following season at the age of 30 (after averaging 19.3 points per game and shooting 41.9% from beyond the arc), although he would never again play to the level he had with the Suns. He spent a year-and-a-half with the Magic, then finally one year with Philadelphia before a knee injury took him out of the league for the entire 2013-14 season, appearing in 19 games in 2014-15 before retiring.
Amar’e Stoudemire* – 2009-10 was his eighth and unfortunately final season with the Phoenix Suns, Amar’e Stoudemire had one of his patented fantastic seasons, averaging 23.1 points per game along with 8.9 rebounds. For his efforts STAT was selected as an All-Star for the fourth consecutive season with Phoenix (his fifth with the franchise), playing in and starting all 82 games for the only time in his career. Due to fears that his knees would not hold up over the length of an extension, he signed with the New York Knicks as an unrestricted free agent, and while he had a fantastic first season, making his sixth All-Star team, his knees did start to hold him back and he was never the same again. Playing for the Knicks for four-and-a-half seasons, each with diminishing returns, Stoudemire was eventually traded to the Dallas Mavericks in 2015, before signing with the Miami Heat for the 2015-16 season, the final year of his NBA career. After purchasing and playing with the Israeli professional team the Hapoel Jerusalem (in which he won the 2017 Israeli League Championship), he is now a star with the Big3. In 2019 he was granted Israeli citizenship.
Alando Tucker – The Suns’ former 2007 first round pick, 2009-10 was his third season with the franchise. Traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves on December 29, 2009 for Jason Hart (who was waived immediately following his acquisition), Tucker finished his career with the Suns playing in only 51 games (starting 1), averaging 4.3 points and 1.0 rebounds per game. Tucker appeared in four games with the Timberwolves before being waived. He signed with the Milwaukee Bucks for the preseason of 2012, but was waived before the start of the year and never appeared in an NBA game again.