Phoenix Suns All-in on NBA Title Push
It isn't really a surprise to see the Phoenix Suns on any title contention list.
After trading for Chris Paul, the Suns have managed to make a run to the 2021 NBA Finals and followed that effort with a 64-win regular season.
The end product in both postseasons was disappointing, but it's hard to argue there's been a better product of basketball during that time span than Phoenix.
Now, retaining the same crew of players, the Suns will again roll the dice on their squad to bring home a franchise-first NBA title.
There's no doubts Phoenix has all their chips pushed to the middle of the table, especially after matching an offer sheet for center Deandre Ayton and putting themselves in position to pay the league's luxury tax for just the fifth time in their history.
In their recent article breaking down tiers of which NBA teams are in the hunt for different goals and aspirations, the Suns were one of six teams to be slapped with the "all-in" tag.
Suns All-in on Title Push
Teams (6): Brooklyn Nets, LA Clippers, Miami Heat, Milwaukee Bucks, Philadelphia 76ers, Phoenix Suns
"These six teams can realistically dream of an NBA championship in 2022-23. In addition, they all have something else in common: a shelf life. All but the Suns have mortgaged multiple future draft picks in order to win a title in 2023, while one of Phoenix's most important players next season (Chris Paul) will turn 38 during the 2023 playoffs," said Tim Bontemps.
"Milwaukee, Philadelphia and Miami have stars who should allow them to be competitive for a long time (Giannis Antetokounmpo, Joel Embiid and Bam Adebayo, respectively). But given the Bucks have traded several future picks and have two co-stars (Khris Middleton and Jrue Holiday) in their early 30s, while the 76ers and Heat are relying on a pair of mid-30s stars in James Harden and Jimmy Butler, respectively, there could be a time limit on their status as true contenders.
"The Clippers might have an argument to be in our next group below, but they've given away their first-round draft picks for the next four years -- and did so last year, as well, which turned out to be a lottery pick with intriguing upside (Jalen Williams) -- and are built around a pair of stars in Kawhi Leonard and Paul George who are entering their mid-30s and have extensive injury histories.
"Meanwhile, the uncertainty surrounding the futures of Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving clouds Brooklyn's future. But they are still part of the roster, which means there's little doubt of what the expectations will be if that remains the case in mid-October."
Bontemps raised a good point on the Suns being essentially the only team that hasn't mortgaged their future quite yet, with all of their draft picks in the arsenal.
So much can change between now and the postseason, as even ESPN's Brian Windhorst went on record to say this Suns team won't look the same.
"Jae Crowder I do believe will be on the trade market, whether it's before the season or in the season, I believe his role is going to be reduced this year as they boost Cam Johnson. I also think even if they don't make the Kevin Durant trade, which we've talked about for weeks, they still own all of their draft picks going forward. Chris Paul is still at the point in his career where they need to go for it," said Windhorst.
"So I don't think the Suns team that you see now is maybe going to be the Suns team that competes for the playoffs next spring."
Time will tell if the move will ultimately pay off, but there's no doubting Phoenix have pushed all their chips to the middle of the table.
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