The Phoenix Suns enter the 2026-27 season with owner Mat Ishbia bullish on their prospects of winning a playoff series. In doing so, he also recently claimed that the Suns have "an ascending young team, getting better every day", but that is not strictly true and is bending the truth to fit his narrative that the best is yet to come.
Suns' two best players closer to end of career than beginning
Ishbia was on CNBC Sport ahead of the new season when he made a surprise statement that the Suns are a younger group, which implies that their best days are ahead of them. They sit 14th in average roster age at 26.4 years old, but that does not tell the full story. Their franchise cornerstone in Devin Booker turns 30 later this month, while Dillon Brooks is already there.
Those are their two best players, while the biggest recruit this summer in Miles Bridges is 28 years old. Jalen Green at 24 is on the younger side, but even presumed starting center Oso Ighodaro is the same age as him. Khaman Maluach just turned 20, and using him as a way to bring down the average age of the most influential players is bending the truth.
Their best three players off the bench are Luke Kennard (30), Jordan Goodwin (27), and Collin Gillespie. Jamaree Bouyea is the same age as those two, while potential new recruit Duop Reap and two-way addition Pat Spencer are also 30 years old. Rookie Koa Peat and youngsters C.J. Huntley, Rasheer Fleming, and even Ryan Dunn bring the age down, but they are fringe players right now, even if Dunn is doing his best during preseason to change that.
Outside of Maluach, the Suns can't point to one player under the age of 24 who has star potential, and even that feels like a stretch for the former 10th overall pick, given how raw he can look on a lot of nights.
Suns have to win big in next couple of seasons before making changes
This core group has a couple of seasons together before changes will have to be made if they don't go on a couple of deep playoff runs. Brooks was just extended this offseason, meaning he could be a trade candidate down the road for a younger option. Beyond that, the only way to seriously reset the average age here is by trading Booker.
Ishbia has been clear that he does not want to do that, but the fact that the top end of this roster is older than he is letting on could force his hand. The front office is doing the best it can given the limitations placed on them by past moves, but let's not pretend this is a young and plucky upstart. Their best players are trying to win right now.
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