The Phoenix Suns' season has come to an end in embarrassing fashion, with the sweep at the hands of the Minnesota Timberwolves confirming what we had known from early in the campaign. That this always felt like the natural ending. A combination of injury and lack of reliable depth ultimately leading to the downfall of the 2023-24 Suns.
The organization now stares into a tough offseason, and one that owner Mat Ishbia knows is going to cost him a lot of money. Their three star players are all on max deals - and at this moment in time at least - are not going anywhere. Neither is Grayson Allen, who signed a four-year, $70 million contract prior to the playoffs beginning.
Outside of that however, all bets are off for this group, and we can say with certainty that these seven players won't be back in The Valley next season.
Allen could well have made this list - his contract is now a relatively team-friendly one that other franchises would have interest in - but for now at least, he will remain with the Suns. Royce O'Neale is another player who in theory would be hitting the unrestricted free agency market, only Ishbia has already spoken about his desire to bring him back as well, no matter the cost.
Looking beyond those two players though, and there are a lot of players on this roster who will be fighting for only a few spots on minimum contracts. For the following individuals though, they won't be back and the fanbase won't be sorry to see them gone either.
7. Isaiah Thomas
Beginning with the obvious - and if the Suns were to bring point guard Isaiah Thomas back again for next season - then something will have gone drastically wrong this summer. In an ideal world, a former franchise great would be heading back to Phoenix if and when he is bought out by his current employer.
Failing that, there will be no shortage of so-so floor generals looking to sign on for minimum contracts to play backup for a contender. Cameron Payne is one such individual - and although he is the last player Suns fans would want to see suiting up for them again because of his known limitations - he is still an upgrade over Thomas.
#otd in 2016 @isaiahthomas scored then career-high 42 points and lead the @celtics to a Game 3 victory in a first round playoffs matchup against Hawks. This was also Brad Stevens' first ever playoff win ☘️ pic.twitter.com/3zZNIwBTNJ
— Tomek Kordylewski (@Timi_093) April 22, 2024
Managing to sign a couple of 10-day deals and then sticking through the postseason was a nice, feel-good story for Thomas, and it looked like he was a great personality to have around the group. Always vocal and active on the bench, and taking any small opportunity that head coach Frank Vogel gave him seriously.
But at 35-years-old and with his best days very much in the rear-view mirror, the Suns can't afford to waste a roster spot on him. It is nothing personal - if Thomas was any better/younger then there'd be a solid argument to keep the former All-Star - but if the Suns ever want to win a championship, they need a more reliable backup point guard.