Welcome to Inside the Suns, your weekly deep down analysis of the current Phoenix Suns team. Each week the Fantable – a round table of Bright Siders – give their takes on the Suns’ latest issues and news.
Fantable Questions of the Week
Q1: There was a lot of talk about trading Grayson Allen and Royce O’Neale during the offseason. What are your thoughts on trading either of them now?
GuarGuar: Allen and Royce have been absolutely exceptional thus far, and I think we would be foolish to deal either one right now. They are perfect fits offensively for Ott’s system, and both have shown immense confidence to start the year. They are creating even more space for Booker, which is why we’ve been on this recent winning stretch. Both are on pretty reasonable contracts too, so I’m pretty against trading either right now.
Ashton: This question dropped before the Pels game. A team that is probably angling for first pick of the 2026 draft. They are a mess, and I expect mid-season trades from NO.
Initially, my comment was going to center on what the Suns would get in return for two players with high upside? Can the FO pull a late first-round 2026 pick for GA? As an aside, I also wanted to piss off the multiple Duke fans.
Then the Pels game. GA goes off for franchise records, and RO contributed quite a bit himself.
After the Pels game. These two are untouchable. Now, keep in mind that this question is based on the “now”. And I would say that their trade value has skyrocketed. But from what I am reading and watching, there is team continuity. This was missing from the last two seasons. So, to answer the question, no.
Also, it is fun to see when board commentators are wrong. This is not a dig, I have been wrong many times. Still, it is fun to see the Suns buck the trend.
John Voita, feel free to insert your article link. But you echo everything stated in my opinion.
OldAz: I was one of the ones banging the drum for this in the off-season, but I always felt like it made more sense at the trade deadline once other teams were in need of those specific skills, and also because it would give a chance for both to build value.
I have always had an issue with the Suns’ poor asset management of selling low and buying high. In the off-season, I saw an opportunity for Grayson and Royce to build their value in the first half of the season while the rookies got their feet wet and then utilize those very tradable assets to fill whatever biggest hole the Suns had or recover draft picks, depending on how the season had gone to that point.
Honestly, despite how well this season has gone so far, my thoughts on this have not really changed that much. Grayson and Royce are both doing their part to maximize their value both to the Suns and every other team out there. However, the second part of this equation is the rookies continuing to work hard in practice and earn that time on the court, creating a minute problem for the coaching staff.
If the Suns continue around .500 and stay in the playoff/Play-In hunt and both GA and RO continue to be key cogs in that success, then it becomes very difficult to trade them unless the rookie step up and start earning some of their minutes.
Considering we are only 10 games in, I would say that this is working out perfectly for the Suns for now, but it is just too early to tell if the rookies will develop in time to maximize the value of one or both of these players on the trade market. If the rookies take longer to develop or there is not a good enough offer on the table at the trade deadline, then it appears both GA and RO are perfect fits in what Coach Ott is trying to do, so there is no harm keeping them as well. These are all the necessary elements you want to have when actually trying to sell high and buy low on the NBA trade market. We just have to be patient and open to the possibility when that time comes.
Rod: It’s going to have to be one hell of a good trade offer before I’d move either one of them. At the moment, they’re 1st (Allen) and 4th (O’Neale) in three-pointers made in the NBA (also a tip of the hat to Collin Gillespie who is tied for 20th on this list) and have been pretty much essential in powering the Suns’ offense which is 2nd in the NBA in threes made.
That being said, neither of them is untouchable, but to me it would take getting either a younger player back that is going to make the team better now or an unprotected pick in one of the next two drafts as part of the deal to get Allen. Royce, I’d let go for less but not a whole lots less. Definitely no older players near the end of their prime years. The Suns would need to get something back for either of them that is more than “win now” assets. At the trade deadline, we’ll know much more about this team’s potential and what we need to become even better in the future, so I’m more than content to just tell other GMs no if any offer they might come up with now doesn’t blow my socks off.
Q2: What are your thoughts on Ryan Dunn’s performance so far this season?
GuarGuar: Dunn’s defense and offensive rebounding have been excellent, and overall, I’m pretty happy about his play and development this season. We are using him more as a screener and in the short roll, and he’s honestly looked pretty good in that role. The shooting is still very spotty, but he’s showing confidence in letting it fly, so that’s encouraging.
Ashton: Are we still talking about tradable value?
But if there was one thing that I want to write about is that this Suns team seems to gel. So why change anything? Granted, the Sun’s win streak is against what is turning out to be in the bottom half of the Western Conference, which may not be as brutal as it seemed in the pre-season.
Ryan Dunn’s stat line over the last five games probably falls under the radar for some, but it is solid. Generally, plays more than 20 minutes a game, but it is not a flashy stat line. It seems like he gained trust in Coach Ott’s system. Has been a plus (+/-) in every game in all five games.
There is no reason to reduce his minutes or trade him.
OldAz: I know everyone was down on him a few weeks ago, and he has really stepped up since that criticism was aired. To be honest, I never really got down on the kid. To me, he personifies the effort, energy, and athleticism that have made this season so much more fun to watch. I know part of it is having low expectations for team success, but Ryan exudes the “give a damn” attitude that was so missing the last two seasons.
I still see shades of a young Mikal Bridges in him because he is fearless on defense and continues to work hard on both ends of the floor. I think he is a good model for the rookies of what can happen if you will continue to work hard on your game and go all out in every playing time opportunity you get.
Rod: Ryan’s offense is still a work in progress, but I’ve seen a lot of improvement already this season. His rebounding has improved, he is fearless attacking the baske,t and has proven to be a solid ball handler. And his free throws are finally starting to drop consistently (his FT percentage is up to 77.8% so far)!
His defense is still great, and he’s leading the Suns in blocks per game (0.9), total blocks (9), and is tied with Gillespie for 5th in steals (1.1). His three-point shooting (30.6%) is the only thing lagging behind in his progress. His athleticism and non-stop motor allow him to play bigger than he actually is, which is a big plus for a team still searching for a true power forward.
I love having him on this team.
Q3: Which Sun has been the biggest disappointment so far this season?
GuarGuar: Oso has been by far the biggest disappointment for me so far. We start him to begin the year, and it makes me think the coaching staff has seen some really nice development from him and he’s ready…but that just wasn’t the case. His offensive game hasn’t improved at all, and he still makes really costly defensive fouls for no reason. He doesn’t offer much as a rotational playe,r and I’m hoping he loses his minutes going forward to Maluach.
Ashton: The Houston trade for KD.
I want to see Khaman Maluach receive more minutes. Green is still on the bench for quite a while (6-8 weeks), and while Brooks has returned to the line-up, he was picking up a technical foul while on the bench. That is over the top, folks.
But all in all, this Suns team has outperformed my early-season expectations. There is little to be disappointed in. They have turned 20-plus deficits into 20-point leads. And it appears that the fanbase is excited as well
My standards were low coming into the session, but I would state the Suns “Meets and/or Exceeds Expectations. I told you all last week that I would try to be more optimistic. Goal achieved.
OldAz: This is a tough one because the team has really come out better than expected, and it has really been a team effort. The easy answer is to say that Green’s injury is the biggest disappointment, but I think this question is more looking for a player who has been available.
There will be a lot of people who answer this question with Oso, but it is hard for me to call him a disappointment when I had almost no expectations for him going into the season. Ott has certainly given him every opportunity to continue to develop, but he simply does not have the size or tools necessary. Again, it is hard for me to call this disappointing when it is the exact same view I had a few months ago. I do think Nick Richards is a candidate here, but I’m willing to give him a pass because Ott has mostly played him alongside Oso in the early season and I think that experiment has hindered Richards. When he gets the opportunity to play as more of a traditional back up to Williams, he has actually looked pretty good.
This leaves me with the two rookies for whom there is some disappointment that they have not been able to crack the lineup yet. I am less disappointed with Maluach in this regard as he is so young and raw and there are a number of good options in front of him in Williams and Richards. Based on this, Fleming wins my award for most disappointing (so far) because I had such high and maybe unrealistic hopes for him to step in and earn minutes as a true power forward, which the team so desperately needs.
It is still early, but other rookies are finding ways to get on the floor and contribute, so I am hoping that Flemming will do so as well soon. On the other hand, I am grateful that the team is playing better than expected, as it forces him to earn it rather than just being given minutes as a rookie on a bad team.
Rod: For me, it’s been Nigel Hayes-Davis. After all the hype about his success in Europe, I just expected him to at least play an important role in the Suns’ player rotation but that just hasn’t happened. As a career 39.5% three point shooter in Europe, his 16.7% shooting from three with the Suns is especially disappointing. I could tell from his interviews that he’s smart and knows basketball but those smarts just haven’t translated into good play on the court.
As always, many thanks to our Fantable members for all their extra effort this week!
“You hope you get healthy, but you know the NBA. It’s whoever plays that night. You have to find solutions for us to have success both ends of the basketball. We got to get to a point it doesn’t matter who is out there for us or who is out there for the other team. We got to go win.” – Jordan Ott
“This team will have no excuses. We lace them up, go out and play.” – Jordan Ott
“Ryan (Dunn) is a solider. Anything we ask, he’ll go out there and do 110%.” – Jordan Ott
“[Devin Booker]‘s a veteran guard. … So I’m learning everything I can from him, while out there trying to help him win.” – Jalen Green
“I can’t take any credit for that performance. I just try to give him some advice here and there, tell him I’m seeing. It’s my job to make his life easier.” – Devin Booker on Jalen Green following the Nov. 6 win against LAC
“I absolutely love Phoenix, and I love the fans here… I’ll never, never, ever, ever take that for granted. I’m so grateful for all the support I get here.” – Grayson Allen
Devin Booker is the first player in NBA history to have averaged:
30+ PPG
7+ APG
50+ FG%
40+ 3P%
85+ FT%
through the first 9 games of a season.
Collin Gillespie is just the 2nd player in NBA history with 100+ PTS, 50+ AST & 25+ 3PM off the bench through the first 10 games of a season.
Most assists through the first 10 games of a season by a Suns player off the bench in franchise history:
- Collin Gillespie – 53 AST (25-26)
- Boris Diaw – 51 AST (05-06)
On November 14, 1997, the Suns defeated the Portland Trail Blazers 140-139 in a quadruple overtime game. It was the eighth quadruple OT game in NBA history and the first since Golden State defeated New Jersey 150-147 10 years before on February 1, 1987.
On November 17, 2000, Suns point guard Jason Kidd tied the NBA record for turnovers in a game when he turned the ball over 14 times in a 90-85 loss to New York. John Drew of the Atlanta Hawks previously held the record alone after committing 14 turnovers at New Jersey on March 1, 1977. This record still stands today.
This week’s game schedule
Thursday, Nov 13 – Suns vs Indiana Pacers (7:00 pm)
Sunday, Nov 16 – Suns vs Atlanta Hawks (6:00 pm)
Tuesday, Nov 18 – Suns @ Portland Trail Blazers (9:00 pm) NBC/Peacock
This Week’s Valley Suns game schedule
Friday, November 14 – Valley Suns vs Rip City (7:00 pm) Roku
Wednesday, November 19 – Valley Suns @ Stockton Kings (8:00 pm) ESPN+
Thursday, November 20 – Valley Suns @ Stockton Kings (8:00 pm) ESPN+
Jan. 5 – 10-day contracts may now be signed
Jan. 10 – All NBA contracts are guaranteed for the remainder of the season
Feb. 5 – Trade deadline (3:00 pm ET)
Feb. 13-15 – 2026 NBA All-Star weekend in Los Angeles, CA
March 1 – Playoff eligibility waiver deadline
March 28 – NBA G League Regular Season ends
March 31 – 2026 NBA G League Playoffs begin
April 12 – Regular season ends (All 30 teams play)
April 13 – Rosters set for NBA Playoffs 2026 (3 p.m. ET)
April 14-17 – SoFi NBA Play-In Tournament
April 18 – NBA Playoffs begin
