Considering that the Phoenix Suns were considered the favorites, by many, to come out of the Western Conference and to win the 2023 NBA title after they acquired Kevin Durant at the NBA Trade Deadline, I’m not sure how else you would label losing in the Western Conference semifinals other than a disappointment.
Nevertheless, the scary part (for the rest of the league) of all this is the fact that the Suns should be even better in year 2 under KD and Devin Booker. The Suns are going to make adjustments to their roster this offseason and will most likely be better equipped to handle such expectations.
Heading into the offseason, we take an early look at five Suns players that probably shouldn’t be back on the team next season.
Bismack Biyombo
Bismack Biyombo hasn’t played much for the Phoenix Suns over the past two seasons and with his contract coming to an end this summer, it’s likely that he will be playing for a new team next season.
Simply put, it’s what makes the most sense from an on-the-court basketball perspective. With how well Jock Landale has played this season (and in the playoffs), it’s likely that the Suns will choose to bring him back over Biyombo as the team’s backup center. Both are unrestricted free agents this offseason and you’d have to imagine that the Suns are going to prioritize Landale over Biyombo at this point.
T.J. Warren
Just a few years ago, T.J. Warren was an extremely productive player for the Phoenix Suns. He was curiously traded to the Indiana Pacers in 2019 and continued to blossom. However, injuries began to derail his career in 2020. His second stint with the Suns hasn’t been as successful for Warren.
Warren is an unrestricted free agent after this season and as a filler in the blockbuster trade for Kevin Durant, it would be highly unlikely that he will be back with the team. Unless, of course, the Suns are willing to take another flier on Warren for the veteran’s minimum. Though, he only appeared in a handful of games for the Suns and wasn’t particularly game-changing when he was on the floor.
Could he be a veteran that is signed to fill a role toward the end of the bench? Absolutely. However, I have a feeling that Warren will be looking for a bigger role heading into next season and the Suns could probably find a player better suited to play the role they’ve asked of Warren since he was acquired.
It just makes the most sense for both parties to move on from each other this offseason.
Darius Bazley
Viewed as somewhat of an afterthought move at the NBA Trade Deadline this past season, Darius Bazley only appeared in seven games for the Phoenix Suns this season. At 22 years old and still extremely raw (but talented), Bazley is still very much a work in progress at this point in his career. With Bazley hitting restricted free agency this offseason, there’s a real chance that he could end up moving on.
And, quite frankly, that wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world for the Suns who may not even have the time to invest in such a young player that is more than likely not ready to contribute to a championship-contending team.
If the Suns do end up retooling their supporting cast this offseason, that means veterans are likely going to be brought in to play a tangible role. That would even give less of a chance for Bazley to see minutes next season if he is on the roster and doesn’t make huge strides in his game this offseason.
The Suns and Bazley parting ways this offseason would be more about the Suns retooling their roster and not all that much about the latter as a player.
Landry Shamet
Acquired from the Brooklyn Nets in 2021, the Phoenix Suns signed Landry Shamet to a four-year contract extension with the team shortly after. With three years remaining on his deal, if the Suns wanted to retool the roster a bit, you’d have to assume he’d be a strong candidate to be moved. While Shamet has been a solid contributor during the regular season for the Suns in each of the last two seasons, his playoff production has not been ideal in two playoff runs with the team.
Even though he plays just a small role for the team off the bench, the Suns need the supporting cast to step up in the postseason. That’s what will get the Suns over the top in the playoffs. So far, Shamet hasn’t been one of the role players to do that. His production was nearly cut in half while playing slightly fewer minutes.
Shamet is not a bad player by any means. For a team that will likely need to retool their supporting cast around their big 3 or 4, there’s no guarantee that Shamet will be retained. Quite frankly, considering his playoff numbers, you can make the case that it’s probably time for the Suns to move on.
Deandre Ayton
As the Phoenix Suns head into the offseason, one of the bigger questions that plague this team centers around what the next step is for Deandre Ayton. It seemed that the team was going to move on from Ayton during last offseason but they instead decided to match an offer sheet that he signed with the Indiana Pacers.
But that didn’t solve the problem. Ayton still leaves much to be desired overall and very well might’ve played his final game in a Suns uniform.
It seems that every time the Suns have needed Ayton to step up in a big moment in the playoffs, he hasn’t. And that’s been a big issue for a Suns team that has been close to winning a title in each of the last few seasons. After this most recent playoff loss, it’s clear that something has to change.
Under the assumption that the Suns aren’t going to trade Kevin Durant or Devin Booker (and they probably couldn’t trade Chris Paul for equal value if they tried), Ayton is likely the best trade chip that Phoenix could dangle on the trade market during the offseason.
If the Suns are all-in on winning a championship next season, there’s a strong argument to be made that Ayton shouldn’t be back.