The Phoenix Suns entered the offseason firmly in the second apron, and with no real way outside of trading one of their three best players to improve. To make matters worse, they were forced to watch Eric Gordon leave for the Philadelphia 76ers.
Gordon's single season in The Valley wasn't without dramatics - most notably around his role on this roster - but he did exactly what the organization needed him to. Namely knock down some shots, defend high level scorers and generally bridge the gap between the stars and everybody else.
Yet despite this setback, the Suns managed to avoid the biggest mistake they could have made in standing still this summer, and did actually improve their roster.
To have simply run it back with Devin Booker, Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal - plus whatever else they could find - would have been an absolute disaster for this franchise. Durant was a fantastic two-way player last season, but relying on him as much as the Suns did during the regular season is what led to their disappointing postseason exit.
The team were soundly swept by the Minnesota Timberwolves in the opening round of the playoffs, and hoping a 36-years-old in September Durant - as well as however many games they can get out of Beal (53 last season) - alongside Booker is going to be any better in 2024-25 would have been foolish.
Instead the front office acted quickly, finally bringing in a point guard in Monte Morris. They even followed this up with a two-way floor general who last played for the Denver Nuggets in Collin Gillespie. With only the minimum to work with, these were inspired deals by the front office.
Next up was bringing back three guys who are valuable to the organization for different reasons this offseason. Royce O'Neale helped immediately on the court when added at the trade deadline, while Josh Okogie coming back may be to trade him down the road. Even if that doesn't happen, he started on opening night last season and is a solid defensive option when he's healthy.
Bol Bol returning ro Phoenix might not have gotten much fanfare elsewhere, but there's no doubt his fifth season in the league with the Suns was where he was most comfortable. If he's playing too much then something has gone wrong, but he continues to be a fun quirk who throws opponents off and has three minute bursts in which he helps this group offensively.
Bol Bol is good.
— Suns Are Better (@SunsAreBetter) January 4, 2024
Moves remarkably well, both w/ and w/o the ball. Has a nice jumper. Showed some impressive vision/decision-making on some of the passes he’s made. Natural deterrent at the rim.
A unique talent that can give the Suns a unique advantage.pic.twitter.com/aJbpCgAK4O
The NBA Draft hasn't been a happy place for the Suns for a while now, but this season saw them make a surprising splash over the two day event. They traded down to get a guy in Ryan Dunn who fits the bill as a possible elite defensive player, while Oso Ighodaro adds youthful enthusiasm to a center rotation that needs it.
Speaking of those big men on the roster - although Jusuf Nurkic is likely to remain and has clear limitations as a player - Mason Plumlee is an upgrade over Drew Eubanks. Last season Eubanks gave up too much size in certain matchups, with the Suns being badly exposed as a result. The tandem of Plumlee and Ighodaro looks a whole lot better at navigating a long regular season.
“I just liked how hard he played.”
— PHNX Suns (@PHNX_Suns) July 17, 2024
Summer Suns coach Vince Legarza spoke about Oso Ighodaro’s performance, Ryan Dunn needing to continue taking 3s, and Collin Gillespie: https://t.co/e9dnoeNP9C pic.twitter.com/sIeHa2f1v6
Throw the undrafted Jalen Bridges into the mix as well, and this looks like a home run of an offseason relative to what the franchise were actually able to do as a result of being in that second apron. Gone are the past their best guys like Thaddeus Young and Isaiah Thomas, as well as former fan favorites who could only do so much on the court like Ish Wainright.
They have been replaced by an actual point guard in Morris (plus Gillespie down in the G League getting reps), Plumlee and three rookies to fill out the rotation. O'Neale coming back was always going to happen but is nice to see anyway, while Okogie gives the front office flexibility to either use him on the court or else possibly trade him.
Both David Roddy and Nassir Little also look like prime candidates to be moved - and even if that doesn't happen - to have contracts to get into the mix in trade talks and have that little bit of flexibility is something this organization has desperately needed.
If all of that wasn't enough, the Suns also went and got a head coach in Mike Budenholzer who is going to be a much freer spirit offensively, and who should be able to get out of this group what Frank Vogel never could. That ability to blow opponents away with their array of scoring power. Consider the mistake of doing nothing this summer and paying for it next playoffs avoided.