When it comes to true rivals that the Phoenix Suns have in the NBA, there is really only one. The Los Angeles Lakers. While the other team in Hollywood in the Clippers brought back Chris Paul - which seemed to bum out Devin Booker - and added Bradley Beal after he'd been bought out by Phoenix, it is the Lakers who will always the most hated opposition.
There's too much shared history there, and it is one that the purple and gold have come out on top of countless times. In fact it is fair to wonder if this is actually a rivalry at all, given the Suns have never won a championship and haven't stopped the Lakers from achieving that goal nearly enough times throughout their history.
Luka Doncic extension complicates Suns' 2026 offseason.
The Lakers received yet more good news on Saturday, as superstar Luka Doncic agreed to a three-year, $165 million extension with the franchise who somehow stole him from the Dallas Mavericks at the deadline last season. This news didn't come as a surprise, although the shape Doncic appears to have gotten himself into sure has caught some people off guard.
This now keeps Doncic out of free agency next summer and committed to the Lakers -- and makes him eligible for a projected five years and $417 million in 2028. https://t.co/V10h5cdxDe
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) August 2, 2025
What does this have to do with the Suns - other than, you know - a Western Conference rival continuing to get stronger moving forward? It is clear the Suns are angling to have cap space in 2026, given that they bought out Beal and moved on from Kevin Durant to get out from under both aprons. It is also why - looking at the big picture - it might make sense to trade for Khris Middleton.
The 33-year-old is an expiring contract, and flipping the longer deals of the likes of Grayson Allen and Royce O'Neale would take even more money off the books ahead of next summer. Only with Doncic now officially off the board - and at this early point as well - every other organization is now going to be going for the same players as the Suns.
That's not ideal, especially as Phoenix are going to be re-tooling for at least the next few seasons. Oddsmakers have them winning roughly 31.5 games in 2025-26, and that is not going to entice a star looking for a change of scenery. To make matters worse, some of the names available include Durant (yeah right) and LeBron James (not at 41-years-old thank you).
Then you get to the likes of Zach LaVine which again, yikes. De'Aaron Fox would be interesting - we've made the case for him already - but with Doncic off the board other teams will panic and reach to add to their rosters. The Suns could even be one of those teams. We all knew this was going to happen, but it doesn't make life any easier for the front office in The Valley.