The Phoenix Suns figure to be competitive again next season, otherwise they wouldn't have made the still puzzling move to acquire Miles Bridges.
With the roster complete barring any small and unexpected changes around the fringes, the pressure is firmly on both Ryan Dunn and Oso Ighodaro to become more meaningful contributors.
Dunn and Ighodaro will be traded if they can't create role in rotation
It is unfortunate for Ighodaro to be lumped in with Dunn here, as he has already proven he can help this team win games. His sophomore season saw him play everywhere from starting center on opening night (did not go well) to a bruising four coming off the bench (much more like it).
In fact both Grayson Allen and Royce O'Neale were shipped out of The Valley with an eye to Ighodaro having more of a say in various lineups. Even better for the 23-year-old, the potentially rapid ascension of Rasheer Fleming doesn't impede on his own progress either.
Right now it feels like if Ighodaro were to be moved, it is because an unexpected deal that is too good to turn down as presented itself. He's not completely in the clear however, as both Mark Williams and Khaman Maluach could quicklg gobble up the bulk of the minutes at center if one can stay healthy and the other makes a leap.
It is possible rookie Koa Peat becomes a factor right away, and Ighodaro certainly will have more competition for a spot in the rotation at his preferred forward, but situation is still very much in his favor.
It is much more bleak for Dunn, who should be worried by the prospect of Fleming and Bridges skipping him in the queue for more run. Which they will, because he has never developed a consistent jump shot and he's seriously lacking in the 3-point part of the "3-and-D" role it was hoped he could grow into.
The Suns also have a glut of guards who need game time, but who are never going to dislodge either Devin Booker or Jalen Green in the backcourt.
Jordan Goodwin has proven he can guard taller scorers, and that directly impacts the potential for Dunn to see the court. Where it becomes hard for the franchise is deciding what he is worth, although at this point a pair of second rounders could get a deal done.
All is not lost for the duo yet, and there is no doubt Ighodaro is the more comfortable of the two entering 2026-27. But come the trade deadline, they could be on thin ice.
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