The Phoenix Suns enter the 2022-23 NBA season with one goal in mind: redemption.
The Suns won a stellar 64 games last season and entered the playoffs as heavy favorites to win their first championship. They then flamed out and lost their second-round series against the Dallas Mavericks in humiliating fashion.
Despite the disappointing postseason, Phoenix is keeping its roster mostly intact.
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Check out the Phoenix Suns NBA 2022-23 Roster
No. | Player | Pos | Ht | Wt | Birth Date | Exp | College |
Landry Shamet | SG | 6-4 | 190 | March 13, 1997 | 4 | Wichita State | |
Timothé Luwawu-Cabarrot | SF | 6-7 | 220 | May 9, 1995 | 6 | ||
Frank Jackson | PG | 6-3 | 205 | May 4, 1998 | 4 | Duke | |
Ish Wainright (TW) | SF | 6-6 | 250 | September 12, 1994 | 1 | Baylor | |
Duane Washington Jr. (TW) | SG | 6-3 | 210 | March 24, 2000 | 1 | Ohio State | |
Deandre Ayton | C | 6-11 | 250 | July 23, 1998 | 4 | Arizona | |
Bismack Biyombo | C | 6-8 | 255 | August 28, 1992 | 11 | ||
Josh Okogie | SG | 6-4 | 213 | September 1, 1998 | 4 | Georgia Tech | |
Damion Lee | SG | 6-5 | 210 | October 21, 1992 | 5 | Drexel, Louisville | |
Devin Booker | SG | 6-5 | 206 | October 30, 1996 | 7 | Kentucky | |
Mikal Bridges | SF | 6-6 | 209 | August 30, 1996 | 4 | Villanova | |
Jock Landale | C | 6-11 | 256 | October 25, 1995 | 1 | Saint Mary's | |
Torrey Craig | SF | 6-7 | 221 | December 19, 1990 | 5 | USC Upstate | |
Cameron Payne | PG | 6-1 | 183 | August 8, 1994 | 7 | Murray State | |
Chris Paul | PG | 6-0 | 175 | May 6, 1985 | 17 | Wake Forest | |
Dario Šarić | PF | 6-10 | 225 | April 8, 1994 | 5 | ||
Jae Crowder | SF | 6-6 | 235 | July 6, 1990 | 10 | Marquette | |
Cameron Johnson | PF | 6-8 | 210 | March 3, 1996 | 3 | Pitt, UNC |
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The Suns locked up franchise star Devin Booker to a four-year, $224 million extension. They also matched Deandre Ayton’s four-year, $133 million offer sheet from Indiana to keep him in Phoenix after many trade rumors. The Suns matching Ayton’s offer sheet likely takes them out of the Kevin Durant sweepstakes. Durant named Phoenix as one of his top trade destinations when he requested a trade out of Brooklyn. However, the Suns are unable to trade Ayton, who could have been the centerpiece of a trade package, until January 15.
Phoenix only lost some depth pieces from last season’s squad such as JaVale McGee. The Suns also haven’t added any major pieces, indicating they are content to run it back. While they may be happy to do so, there are still some moves they should make to maximize their title chances.
Phoenix selected Cameron Johnson with the 11th overall pick in 2019, and he’s been a key part of the team since. The former North Carolina wing enjoyed his best season in 2021-22, averaging 12.5 points per game primarily coming off the bench. He also shot well, hitting 46% from the field and 42.5% from three-point range.
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Johnson is entering the last year on his rookie deal, making under $6 million in 2022-23. He is eligible to sign a rookie extension this offseason, and Phoenix should do everything to lock him up.
The contracts of Jae Crowder and Dario Saric expiring after next season could provide some relief. But Phoenix is still well above the cap even with those two coming off the books.
Extending Johnson will be a tough task for the Suns, but they need to do it to ensure the team’s future.
Acquiring Durant would be the ideal scenario, but that looks more and more unlikely with each move. With Durant likely off the table, the Suns should look to other trade targets to add some more offense.
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Gerald Bourguet of PHNX Sports proposed the Suns go after Sacramento’s Harrison Barnes. The 30-year-old averaged 16.4 points per game last season with the Kings. He primarily plays as a small forward, but could fit as a power forward in Phoenix’s smaller lineup.
Another option could be Washington’s Kyle Kuzma, as suggested by Arizona Sports’ Kellan Olson. The 26-year-old bounced back in his first season with the Wizards, averaging 17.1 points and 8.5 rebounds per game. He also makes just $13 million next season, with a player option for the following season.
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