Regardless of how the remainder of this season plays out, this upcoming offseason could be crucial to the continued development of the Phoenix Suns.
Is 2020 the year that the Phoenix Suns get that 20/20 vision? (Sorry, you don’t understand, I had to). Devin Booker is chomping at the bit for a chance to make the playoffs, and whether or not he is able to reach that goal this season, he is already in his fifth season and on his second contract, so the clock is definitely ticking.
Deandre Ayton and others will be hitting various levels of free agency in just two short years. The 2019 offseason was a transformative one in regards to picking up pieces that gave the Suns both more legitimacy as well as helping to put out a more competitive product on the floor.
The Phoenix Suns showed some encouraging signs of improvement this year, and, they can get even better very quickly.
Signing Ricky Rubio was tremendous in terms of getting a starting-caliber point guard who is solid defensively and an elite passer. Making a value play on Saric, while not entirely successful, was a worthy gamble as well, as Saric did seem to fit the prototype that Phoenix is looking for from the power forward spot.
Crafting a much-improved bench paid dividends when injuries hit over the course of the season, and while the Suns could have won some more games, they didn’t completely fall apart and there is something to be said for that.
All of these improvements occurred over this past offseason, so there is now at least the beginnings of an established precedent of the front office both assessing a need and then addressing it.
Not every hole was filled, and there were definitely a few questionable moves during the process, but what Suns fans have seen was encouraging, and that stands for something, especially when it comes to having faith in your team’s front office and their competency in improving their roster.
However, even with all of that, right now the Phoenix Suns are on the outside of the playoff bubble, battling to have a shot in a situation where the odds look rough. Sure, injuries and an untimely suspension had a lot to do with why they’re here. However, those circumstances should not gloss over the obvious fact that there is still more work that Phoenix has to do.
The onus is on James Jones and the front office to ascertain both the needs listed here and any future or hidden ones that exist to both improve this team and ultimately get them to the promised land. Time will tell whether this offseason will be the start of that process.