Suns Have Bright, Yet Also Murky Future

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The Phoenix Suns are going into the upcoming season with a lot of strange energy.
While they have players that could make the team better in the long run, they also don't have much direction after trading Kevin Durant and buying out Bradley Beal's contract.
NBA insider Brett Siegel looked into what the Suns could do in the coming months.
"Where the Suns go from here is an interesting topic to dissect, especially when you actually examine their current roster and come to the conclusion that they had a terrific offseason. When a final decision to move on from Durant and Beal was made, the Suns and new general manager Brian Gregory made it their mission to cut the team's total salaries by becoming younger, faster, and more versatile," Siegel wrote.
"Jalen Green and Mark Williams are only 23 years old, and Phoenix added three dynamic rookies in the 2025 NBA Draft: Khaman Maluach (10th overall), Rasheer Fleming (31st overall), and Koby Brea (41st overall).
"Whereas Maluach and Fleming present a ton of upside moving forward as long, versatile frontcourt options, Brea could contribute right away. At NBA Summer League, there were multiple times where Brea looked like a young Devin Booker getting to his spots and scoring in the mid-range area."
The Suns have reason for optimism, but they need to make sure these pieces have some kind of impact. They cannot afford to miss on these new acquisitions.
If all or a majority of these players pan out for the Suns, things will be looking up and they could even return to the playoffs in 2026. However, if things go south, it will only continue to create issues for the Suns and the fall from grace will continue, especially without a first-round pick in next year's big NBA Draft.

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several On SI sites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid and resides in Central Florida. He graduated from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener.