![]() The Phoenix Suns have 11 players that will be free agents in 2024. Here’s a refresher course on how the In-Season Tournament works. Nurkic will have to supplement waning athleticism with physicality, the ability to screen and pinpoint passing - all while remaining healthy enough to be a mainstay as Phoenix targets a lengthy postseason run. Frankly, all of Nurkic’s leg injuries over the years have adversely affected the 29-year-old’s mobility in switching and playing effective pick-and-roll defense. Dealing with centers in the West such as Nikola Jokic and Anthony Davis isn’t an easy task, and Phoenix made that endeavor more difficult by trading Ayton for Nurkic, who hasn’t played more than 56 games since the 2018-19 season due to various injuries. In fact, we all should anticipate more Suns moves in the coming months as general manager James Jones starts to determine the direction of the Suns after the early portion of the season. There’s some concern about the team’s depth and how Beal might fare moving over from shooting guard to point guard, but Ishbia has already demonstrated over his short tenure a willingness to do whatever is financially necessary to enhance the squad. That should open more opportunities for new center Jusuf Nurkic, who might be somewhat of a downgrade from Deandre Ayton. Phoenix possesses the offensive firepower to make a title run with Durant, Booker and Beal as the top three options. Durant joined the Suns last February and operated in a near state of chaos adjusting to the new squad, but enters 2023-24 coming off a full offseason, not to mention his first training camp, with the team.He finds himself armed similarly as Phoenix’s coach with the trio of Devin Booker, Durant and Beal in the fold. The defensive-minded Vogel took the Los Angeles Lakers to a championship in his first season working with LeBron James and Anthony Davis.Averaging 22.1 points throughout his career, Beal brings real scoring punch as a third option, and although he’s a prototypical shooting guard, the veteran will shift over to point guard, a move that might require some creativity from Phoenix.Having landed Kevin Durant last February, the Suns kicked up the team’s star power another notch in June by trading for Wizards star Bradley Beal in a deal that sent away veteran point guard Chris Paul, Landry Shamet and several future pick swaps.Īll the moves set the stage for Phoenix to enter 2023-24 as legitimate championship contenders, arguably the favorites to capture the title. Two seasons removed from a berth in the NBA Finals, the Phoenix Suns hit the reset button on the heels of consecutive second-round exits, firing coach Monty Williams and bringing aboard Frank Vogel to lead an overhauled roster. What we can say for sure, though, is that the Suns will be better by their next game than they were on Wednesday night - or at least whenever Durant plays again.Bradley Beal (right) joins Kevin Durant (center) and Devin Booker as Phoenix boasts a new ‘Big 3’ for 2023-24. However, with the Suns getting Warren in this deal, it feels like we could see him take that spot, at least initially, to see what Phoenix in this new look operates like. There’s a statement toward stability for having Torrey Craig slot into that role. With that said, the other forward spot with Durant is going to be up for debate. The incoming former MVP, Chris Paul, Devin Booker and Deandre Ayton aren’t going anywhere in the starting-five. There are at least four spots in the Phoenix starting lineup that are pretty much set in stone once Durant is able to take the floor again. Suns roster: Projected starting lineup after Kevin Durant trade Whenever they are both back to full health, though, it’s worth looking at the new Suns roster and seeing what their starting lineup could look like. On top of that Devin Booker just returned to the lineup on Tuesday night. Of course, Durant hasn’t played since Jan. To make the trade happen, the Suns had to give up a monster haul to the Nets, a package that included Mikal Bridges, Cam Johnson, Jae Crowder, four first-round picks and a 2028 pick swap.īut now Durant is on the Suns and the push to bring the Larry O’Brien Trophy to the desert is on in droves. Late on Wednesday night, the Suns and the Brooklyn Nets agreed on a stunning trade that will send the 13-time All-Star to Phoenix. It’s rare those blockbusters ever come to fruition, though. If a Kevin Durant trade was going to happen, the team that kept popping up as an interested party that made a ton of sense was the Phoenix Suns. What will the starting lineup look like now? The Suns roster looks substantially different after the Kevin Durant trade with the Nets.
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