1 question for every Phoenix Suns starter for 2024-25 season

Despite having a busy offseason, there is a feeling of familiarity about the Phoenix Suns ahead of the 2024-25 season. They might have a new head coach in Mike Budenholzer - and three young players added to their books - but the core of this group has remained intact.

With Royce O'Neale signing a new deal and even Josh Okogie and Bol Bol back for another season, much of what the Suns put on the court next season we will have seen before. Monte Morris and Mason Plumlee might be new recruits, but that's hardly reason to think much is going to change.

In fact the Suns are going to return all five of the same starters on opening night, and each has a big question lingering over their heads.

The questions vary wildly as well, especially given the star trio on this roster aren't going anywhere. Owner Mat Ishbia has gone all in on this group, and 2024-25 will be the season when we really find out just how wise a move that was. Answering these questions will see this roster go a long way.

Devin Booker - Can he be the MVP of the league?

Franchise cornerstone Devin Booker will be entering his 10th season with the Suns, in what is sure to make a certain section of the fanbase feel old. Personal accolades have never appeared to matter much to the player, which might make the question of winning the MVP a strange one.

But if the Suns are to reach the promised land, then Booker needs to turn in unquestionably the best season of his career. He'll turn 28 at the end of October, which should signal the beginning of his peak as a basketball player. If he could lead this team to one of the top seeds while putting up 27 points and eight assists each night, he'll be right in that conversation.

A crack at the MVP award is important to Booker for another reason, and that is his own legacy. If he never wins a championship in Phoenix - something that would take him from superstar to living legend - then the next best thing he can do is be the first Sun since Steve Nash to win the award.

Jayson Tatum and Jamal Murray - two players Booker is often mentioned alongside - both have rings now. Neither has been an MVP though, and that hardwood would give Booker more of a case to say he is the best player of the three. He may already be the best player in franchise history, but this would all but solidify it.

Bradley Beal - Can he stay healthy for a whole season?

There's no doubt Bradley Beal's question regarding health is the most obvious one on this list, a depressing thought given the boatload of money still owed to the 30-year-old over the coming years. Limited to only 53 regular season games in his debut campaign in The Valley, it is hard to know which part of that fact was more depressing.

That he missed so much time with a variety of injuries ranging from back problems to a broken nose, or that he looked comfortable and very good when he did finally make it back onto the court. Make no mistake - down the stretch of a regular season in which the Suns won 49 games - Beal was their best player.

But if he's only going to play 50/60 games going forward - and history would say there's a strong likelihood of that being the case - then the Suns are never going to survive the gauntlet that is the Western Conference in the playoffs.

Which is a shame because Beal answered last year's question of if he could be the third star on a team with ease. He clearly doesn't mind deferring to Booker and Kevin Durant, and by the end of the season was comfortable picking his spots around them. If he can't stay on the court when he's needed though, then none of that will even matter.

Kevin Durant - Will he request a trade?

It is sad that this is the lingering question when it comes to Durant, especially as the player himself as already come out and rightly said that it is easy to just stick his name in trade rumors to get some engagement. True as that may be, it is also fair to point out Durant has asked out of a situation involving two star teammates before.

Those Brooklyn Nets rosters with Kyrie Irving and James Harden were different for a variety of reasons, but there is still cause for concern here. Outside of LeBron James, there is probably no player in the league right now that cares about their legacy more than Durant.

It was his move to the Golden State Warriors to win a pair of championships that most fans can't seem to get over, but consider this possibility. If the Suns falter again and Durant realizes he won't win another title in Phoenix, wouldn't he rather move one more time to a location where he could add that third chip?

Going to San Francisco is going to be used against him forever anyway, but a third championship puts him in more rarified air. To add to this - of the three stars on this roster - Durant is the one who is most likely to be moved. Booker is going nowhere and Beal can't be moved, which adds another intriguing element to this question.

Grayson Allen - Was last season his peak in the league?

On a personal level, few Suns players had a better 2023-24 than Grayson Allen. He led the league in 3-point shooting (46.1 percent), and posted career highs in points, rebounds and assists. His 74 games started (out of 75 played) also represented another personal high for the 28-year-old.

This solid play was rightly rewarded with a four-year, $70 million extension, with Allen looking to have found a home in The Valley. Next to the galaxy of stars on display, his ability to hit open shots and defend at an above average level made him the perfect starter to have out there each night.

Only lurking behind all of that was a postseason display where Allen shot a gross 20 percent from deep, taking only 2.5 attempts in the postseason hammering by the Minnesota Timberwolves. Perhaps that was just a bad matchup for the player - it certainly was for the Suns as a whole - and he will be back to his best next season.

Then again, we've seen plenty of players have career years, sign a nice extension and then never recapture than form. Which is not what the Suns want to hear, because Allen is massively important to what they do. If that was as good as it is going to get with him though, then the organiztion are in trouble.

Jusuf Nurkic - Is this his last season in Phoenix?

Center Jusuf Nurkic is without doubt the fall guy of this group, because his limitations are there for all to see. Never mind that he had a superb bounceback season having come over in the Deandre Ayton deal, remaining healthy and being exactly what the Suns needed him to be.

That is a big body in the paint, who was able to contribute to the offensive flow of the group. Defensively it wasn't always pretty, but nobody could ever doubt the commitment that Nurkic showed each night. His willingness to do the dirty work required to win deserving so much more praise than he got - and he received his fair share - en route to posting an 11/11 each night.

But with only two years left on his current deal - and some intriguing trade possibilities out there - the Suns will likely move Nurkic if they're able to get what they think is a good deal in return. He puts a cap on how good this group can be, and that is considerably short of a championship, and he isn't going to get any better either.

The likes of Plumlee and Oso Ighodaro taking some of Nurkic's minutes is a scary thought, but the time to rip off the band-aid could come during the season. His trade value is the highest it has been in at least five years, and the franchise knows this. Don't be surprised if they cash in on Nurkic's value at some point in the campaign.