Whisper it quietly, but the Phoenix Suns' front office might just have successfully navigated out of the worst position in the league this offseason. That's not to say the future is bright either - they're going to be seeing Bradley Beal's name on their salary cap sheet for half a decade yet - but the Suns were at least brave enough to make big changes.
It is clear they are now building a younger roster around Devin Booker - and although they might try and frame this as a re-tooling job - it is more like an actual rebuild. That's why Booker was given a massive extension, in the hope that all of those extra dollars can make up for the volume of losses that will be coming the team's way for the next couple of years at least.
Suns should take two-way flyer on Emoni Bates.
This also means Phoenix has entered a phase in their re-development that both excites fans and allows them to entertain signing the kind of reclamation projects they couldn't when Kevin Durant was in town. Former high school phenom Emoni Bates would appear to fit that bill, and the Suns should be seeing if they can get him down to their G League affiliate on a two-way.
It would be fair to say Bates time in the league has not worked out as hoped so far. If you go onto various social media apps as well, you'll hear all kinds of rumors regarding his work-ethic, application to the game and even the path he took to make it to the NBA. Whether any of that is actually true, his talent did get him to the pinnacle of the profession.
Throwback to when Emoni Bates’ became the first Sophomore to win Gatorade NPOTY!
— College Basketball Report (@CBKReport) July 5, 2025
Bates garnered NBA comparisons of Paul George, LeBron James & Kevin Durant as he averaged 32/9/3 as the undisputed #1 recruit in the country.
Emoni would commit to Michigan State but would reclass… pic.twitter.com/UE2DXXT79y
It is also fair to point out that the Suns need all of the offensive sparks that they can get after Durant's departure, especially now that the defensive end has been taken care of as much as it could be. Dillon Brooks is going to help a lot, while incoming rookie Khaman Maluach has massive upside as their franchise center.
Then there is Mark Williams, Ryan Dunn, Oso Ighodaro and another rookie in Rasheer Fleming, who should all ensure the Suns are tougher to score on next time out. After Booker and Jalen Green though, in terms of having players who can create their own shot, it gets thin quick. There's a reason why Grayson Allen and Royce O'Neale still have value, but they're spot up shooters from deep.
Bates last played for the Cleveland Cavaliers and is clearly a guy the Suns shouldn't make an actual roster spot for either. But they managed to turn a two-way player in Collin Gillespie into a backup point guard after his G League exploits last season, could they repeat the trick with Bates? He'd have to have the fight for it, something we know Gillespie had in spades.
If the Suns want to get back to contention quicker than many believe they will, they need to identify guys like this who could have massive value in the back end of their rotation. Bates at 21-years-old is the same age as Fleming and is younger than their other rookie in Brea (22), so it's not like he doesn't deserve another chance. An intriguing player to consider and potentially buy low on.