The Phoenix Suns appear to have two priorities this offseason, and that is bringing back both Collin Gillespie and Jordan Goodwin.
Gillespie being brought back speaks for itself, the Suns need a floor general who can both start and come off the bench. But ensuring Goodwin is also in The Valley next season is just as important.
Defensive flexibility of Goodwin a massive plus for the Suns
The 27-year-old was let go by Phoenix once before, but that is a mistake they will not be making again. Paying him more than the minimum to come back, which is what they will have to do, is also tough given how close the franchise is to hitting both aprons again.
But it is necessary for a player who can also occupy the point guard position, and who is one of the more underrated players in the league.
I would expect the Suns top priorities this offseason to be
— John Gambadoro (@Gambo987) April 30, 2026
1. Retaining Collin Gillespie
2. Retaining Jordan Goodwin
Goodwin didn't receive any All-Defense votes when the teams were announced recently, and some his teammates were shocked by the omission. The numbers speak for themselves however, and the Suns gave up only 110.1 points per game during the regular season when he was on the court.
That's considerably better than the 112.9 they managed for the season as a whole, which was still good enough to break into the top 10 (ninth) in the entire league. The reason Goodwin is able to achieve this is obvious, and is yet another reason to be wary of a potential Ja Morant trade.
He is both quick enough to hang with smaller guards like Trae Young and make their life difficult, while also possessing genuine size to hang with elite scorers. Goodwin can't shut down Anthony Edwards for example, in truth nobody can, but the fact head coach Jordan Ott could comfortably have him guard the superstar unlocks so much defensively for this group.
This allows Devin Booker to hide on weaker scorers or smaller players, while Dillon Brooks can also take his bullying tactics elsewhere. Goodwin is never going to be a starter for the Suns if they're serious about winning, but this is an invaluable skill off the bench to have.
The 113.4 points the team managed when he was on the court trailed their season average (114.2), but the gap in those figures is not enough to cause major panic.
Goodwin is a veteran guard who was one of the stealth reasons the Suns were so good defensively last season, and bringing him back makes complete sense. He may end up pushing Gillespie for a larger role next season.
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