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Inside The Suns

What Suns' Team Could Look Like in Season Finale vs Thunder

With so many injuries, the Phoenix Suns' roster could look like this for Game 82.
Mar 28, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Phoenix Suns head Coach Jordan Ott with forward Rasheer Fleming (20) against the Utah Jazz at Mortgage Matchup Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
Mar 28, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Phoenix Suns head Coach Jordan Ott with forward Rasheer Fleming (20) against the Utah Jazz at Mortgage Matchup Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

PHOENIX — The Phoenix Suns' roster entering tonight's regular season finale against the Oklahoma City Thunder won't look familiar.

Both the Suns and Thunder are locked into their respective spots in the Western Conference playoff picture with nothing to gain. As a result, the typically star-studded matchup will be far from what fans will see tonight.

The Suns' injury report was a glaring example of that:

OUT: Devin Booker (right ankle injury management), Dillon Brooks (left second metacarpal injury management), Royce O'Neale (left knee injury management), Grayson Allen (left hamstring soreness)

QUESTIONABLE: Jalen Green (right knee soreness), Collin Gillespie (right shoulder contusion), Jordan Goodwin (left ankle sprain), Mark Williams (left foot injury management), Haywood Highsmith (right knee injury management)

That's a lot of bodies, which doesn't leave a ton of room for the Suns in terms of playing time.

The Arizona Republic's Duane Rankin floated out this possibility for tonight in OKC:

What Suns Could Look Like vs Thunder

Bouyea has been a very fun rotational guard who is a scoring threat when the Suns have needed him through spurts of the season. Getting some of the younger players minutes in Maluach, Fleming and Brea should be key as well while Dunn, Coffey and Livers may also benefit from extended run tonight.

The Suns clinched the seventh spot in the West after Wednesday night's battle against the Dallas Mavericks with no wiggle room to move up or down in the standings.

That spurred some conversations around what Phoenix should do in terms of rest with two games remaining on their slate. Their Friday night blowout loss against the Los Angeles Lakers featured some of that, especially after Grayson Allen's injury.

The Suns have been fairly conservative in terms of health, and especially after Friday's scare, it doesn't appear they're going to take any chances with their premier players.

"That was not the plan. The plan was always to try to find a little rhythm for these guys. I just didn't want to see another injury," Suns coach Jordan Ott said after keeping Gillespie out of second half action in Los Angeles.

There's just two days until the Suns are set to host the 7/8 seeded play-in tournament game at Mortgage Matchup Center, so resting up will be vital for a Phoenix team that's battled injuries all through the season.

Don't expect any large names to play tonight in Oklahoma City.

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Donnie Druin
DONNIE DRUIN

Donnie Druin is the Publisher for Arizona Cardinals and Phoenix Suns On SI. Donnie moved to Arizona in 2012 and has been with the company since 2018. In college he won "Best Sports Column" in the state of Arizona for his section and has previously provided coverage for the Pittsburgh Steelers and Arizona State Sun Devils. Follow Donnie on Twitter @DonnieDruin for more news, updates, analysis and more!