Suns’ future ranked dead last in 30 team NBA ranking

Marks on why Suns future is in shambles:

“It was only three years ago when Phoenix ranked third in the FPR and had a solid foundation of young players and future draft assets. That foundation no longer exists, thanks largely to the Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal trades. Both players are no longer on the roster, and though Phoenix isn’t in financial purgatory and still has All-Star Devin Booker, its path back to relevancy is unclear. The Suns have no tradeable firsts in the next seven years and have $23 million in dead money on their books in the next five years. One positive is that Phoenix has shifted away from building around multiple high-priced veterans to trading for former first-round picks Jalen Green, Mark Williams and selecting Khaman Maluach in June’s draft.”

The franchise is just under the second apron and will be tiptoeing around that line for the next five years because of the $23 million in dead money, plus soon-to-be $70 million man Devin Booker’s contract extension will kick and really start to give the front office money problems.

The Suns’ current position is hard to blame on one single person, as it takes a massive team to run an NBA organization. However, many fans and experts will point the finger at owner Mat Ishbia’s arrival at the beginning of the end.

Ishbia and his team have took big swings and have hit into multiple double plays that have hurt the team’s current and future title windows. The 45-year-old UWM CEO has the money and willingness to spend to build a stellar roster, with the fanbase to boast.

However, at a certain point money hasn’t produced the results. All Stars like Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal have come and gone from the Valley, leaving Ishbia’s staff to pivot towards its new goal: replicating the city of Phoenix.

During the end of season press conference, Ishbia stated he wanted to build a team that represented the people of the Valley, hard-working and gritty. After those words, he hired GM James Gregory, head coach Jordan Ott and put the infrastructure to bring in something the roster hasn’t had in a while, youth.

Similar to the franchise’s rise to notoriety, franchise-leading scorer Devin Booker will be the veteran of the locker room, while the roster of young guns will fit their playstyle around him. Jalen Green, Mark Williams, Khaman Maluach, Koby Brea, Ryan Dunn and more are all 23 years old and younger. The team went from one of the oldest teams in the league to near the top in youth.

ESPN’s ranking of the Suns isn’t entirely unfair, but it could become posterboard material for the franchise as a reminder of the team’s doubters for this season and beyond. While the 2025-2026 season is seen as a buffer year for Phoenix, it’ll be the perfect opportunity to reclaim the Valley and its fans by recapturing the magic of what make it great in the first place.