The 2024–25 Phoenix Suns season is the 57th season of the franchise in the National Basketball Association (NBA), as well as their 32nd season at Footprint Center.[1] It is also their second full season under the ownership group led by Mat Ishbia and Justin Ishbia after the brothers purchased the team on February 8, 2023, and their second season with their "Big Three" superteam of Devin Booker, Kevin Durant, and Bradley Beal together. This will be their second season in a row with a new head coach taking over since Monty Williams' firing following the announcement of Frank Vogel's firing on May 9, 2024, this time having 2021 NBA Finals champion coach Mike Budenholzer taking over as the new head coach two days later.[2] This is also their first season since the 2019–20 season where the Suns would properly utilize the NBA G League again with their own squad (this time, the Valley Suns) after previously selling the Northern Arizona Suns to the Detroit Pistons during that season's suspension/reinstatement period and subsequently shutting down that G League team for the following season afterward in a move unrelated to their sale,[3] thus marking the first time where every NBA team would utilize their own G League affiliate during a season.[4] Entering this season, the Suns are looking to improve upon their previous season's record of 49–33, which left them with a sixth-place finish in the Western Conference, as well as look to enter the playoffs for the fifth straight season after previously missing the playoffs for a decade straight and improve upon their first round sweeping exit from the last postseason.
Before training camp began, on September 21, 2024, long-time broadcaster Al McCoy would pass away peacefully at 91 years old, with his final public appearance being when he helped introduce coach Mike Budenholzer to the public.[5] On September 30, the day training camp began for the Suns, owner Mat Ishbia announced the Suns would dedicate this season to Al McCoy, with them wearing a black patch with the word "Al" written on it on their jerseys for every game this season.[6] For their season opener, the Suns would spoil the new arena home opener of Intuit Dome for the Los Angeles Clippers in a tense 116–113 overtime win. In only six games, the Suns would already best their 10 game mark from last season with a 5-1 record. However, an injury to Kevin Durant (and a later injury to Bradley Beal) would delay them getting their 10th win of the season until November 26 against the Los Angeles Lakers after starting the season out with a 8-1 record. By the 20 game mark of the season, the Suns would tie their mark from last season with a 12-8 record.
The Suns entered this draft period (which would last for two days instead of just one day like it was ever since the NBA draft was only two rounds long back in 1989) with only their own first-round pick (that was made 22nd after a tiebreaker with two other teams with the same record as them and that they also kept as their own pick following multiple trades revolving around a first-round pick swap that they made last season[7][8]) after also trading away their own second-round pick this year as a part of their massive Bradley Beal trade from last season.[7] They also originally had a second-round pick that was from the Denver Nuggets (which would have been made late into the second-round) that they acquired from the Orlando Magic the previous season,[9] but that pick was ultimately vacated from them early on into that season after the NBA discovered the Suns had engaged in conversations with then-Portland Trail Blazers center Drew Eubanks before that season's free agency period officially began.[10] They also held draft rights to the San Antonio Spurs' second-round pick as well had it fallen into a certain condition due to a previous trade involving Cameron Payne, but that pick would not be conveyed to them due to the Spurs performing far below expectations of that draft pick's range limitations.[11] On the first night of the 2024 NBA draft, the Suns traded their only pick they had at the time (which became Dayton power forward DaRon Holmes II) to the Denver Nuggets in exchange for their 28th pick in the draft (which became Virginia forward Ryan Dunn), their 56th pick in the draft (which became Kansas shooting guard Kevin McCullar Jr.), and two future second round picks in 2026 and 2031.[12] On the second day of the draft, the Suns would later trade Kevin McCullar Jr., the 56th pick, and the Boston Celtics' protected 2028 second round pick to the New York Knicks in exchange for the 40th pick in the draft (which became the Arizona born and raised Marquette power forward/center Oso Ighodaro).[13]
Coaching changes
On April 16, 2024, assistant coach Kevin Young was hired as a head coach for Brigham Young University's men's basketball team (though he would stay for the team's brief 2024 playoff run) after their previous coach, Mark Pope, left BYU to be the new head coach for the University of Kentucky, replacing John Calipari there after he left them for the University of Arkansas. Young had previous hints of leaving for a head coaching position with him being considered a serious candidate for the head coach position for both the Brooklyn Nets and Charlotte Hornets before being hired by BYU.[14][15] He was also the highest paid assistant coach at the time of his departure.[16] On May 9, following weeks of deliberation after a disappointing first round exit against the Minnesota Timberwolves in the 2024 NBA playoffs, the Suns decided to fire head coach Frank Vogel after finishing only one season of his five-year, $31 million deal that he had originally signed with the team. Unlike the previous season's coaching search where it was an extensive one, the Suns would only look at a select few candidates to replace Vogel's position, with Holbrook, Arizona native Mike Budenholzer (the head coach the won the 2021 NBA Finals over the Suns) being considered a prominent part of their new head coach search before ultimately getting the position two days later with a five-year deal worth $50 million.[17][2] Vogel would later be hired as a coaching consultant for Jason Kidd and the Dallas Mavericks.[18]
Following Budenholzer's hiring, the Suns later announced that none of Vogel's assistant coaches from last season would initially be retained for the new coaching staff led by Budenholzer this season.[19] However, after an attempt to promote David Fizdale into a front office position later in the month instead, he was reported to return to his role as an assistant coach for the Phoenix Suns on May 29.[20] The Suns would also look to hire Vince Legarza, a former assistant coach with the Milwaukee Bucks and Minnesota Timberwolves, on May 28 (with Legarza also taking on the head coach role for the Suns' Summer League team).[21][22] On May 30, Utah Jazz assistant coach Chad Forcier would be named the next addition to the Phoenix Suns' coaching staff.[23] A day after that, on May 31, former Wisconsin Herd head coach Chaisson Allen would be the next assistant coach to be hired onto Budenholzer's new staff.[24] On June 11, the former University of Washingtonbasketball coachMike Hopkins would be reported as the next hiring for Budenholzer's coaching staff.[25] Over a month later, on July 23, Brent Barry, the San Antonio Spurs' Vice President of Basketball Operations, was reported to be the most recent hiring for Budenholzer's coaching staff.[26] A day after that, former Washington Wizards assistant coach James Posey would take on one of the open assistant coach spots for the team.[27] Finally, the Suns would announce their official coaching staff joining alongside Mike Budenholzer on August 6, with the last addition being former Los Angeles Lakers assistant coach Schuyler Rimmer.[28]
Front office changes
In addition to coaching staff changes, the Suns also expressed interest in modifying their front office up a bit as well. Initially, assistant coach David Fizdale was offered a front office position with the team on May 12, 2024, following an initial firing from Frank Vogel's coaching staff, but he ultimately denied the job promotion in favor of staying with the Suns as an assistant coach for Mike Budenholzer's staff.[29] Five days after trying to get Fizdale into a front office role, it was reported that the Suns would offer former Long Island Nets general manager and then-current Brooklyn Nets vice president of strategy member Matt Tellem (son of famous sports agent Arn Tellem) a key spot on their new front office instead.[30] Matt Tellem would eventually be announced as a new assistant general manager for the Suns (with both Trevor Bukstein (who had previously been a part of their staff since 2013) and Morgan Cato being confirmed to not return to the front office as of May 21[31]) on June 10, with former University of South Floridabasketball coachBrian Gregory being named the vice president of player programming alongside the hiring of Tellem.[32] Over a month later, on July 19, assistant general manager Gerald Madkins, personnel evaluation manager David Sevush, and team scouts Charles Payne and Darrel Johnson were announced to not return to the team's front office.[33]
Free agency and Trades
Entering free agency, Bol Bol, Royce O'Neale, Isaiah Thomas, and Thaddeus Young would all become unrestricted free agents, though O'Neale was considered very likely to earn a contract extension before June 29 in order to take himself off the market similar to that of Grayson Allen earlier in the year (albeit for less money due to him being traded to Phoenix in February last season). In addition to them, Drew Eubanks, Eric Gordon, Damion Lee, and Josh Okogie all held player options that they would need to pick up sometime before June 29 in order to avoid free agency, though they all decided to enter free agency by the 29th. Also joining the other players in free agency were the team's two-way contracts from last season in Saben Lee, Udoka Azubuike, and Ish Wainright, though two of those three players would be ineligible for a new two-way contract due to them already being in the NBA for four seasons now. They also had salary cap holds on the recently retired Terrence Ross and former two-way contract player Gabriel Lundberg since the Suns hadn't renounced their player rights on the salary cap yet.[34] Starting on June 18, the day after the 2024 NBA Finals ended, teams like the Suns would start talking with their own free agents in order to get potential agreements ready for them early before they signed new deals on July 6.[35][36] Also, starting on June 30, the Suns were one of a select few teams to be fully restricted by the NBA's newer second tax apron limitations, which would implement greater restrictions on teams that had a payroll of over $190 million during the previous season.[37][38]
On July 2, 2024, the Suns would officially sign former Denver Nuggets guard Collin Gillespie and Baylor University forward Jalen Bridges to two of their open two-way contract spots for the season.[39][40] A day after that, both Mason Plumlee of the Los Angeles Clippers and Monté Morris of the Minnesota Timberwolves would officially sign one-year veteran's minimum contracts worth $3,303,771 and $2,800,834 respectively to join the team early due to the type of contracts they would sign,[41][42] with Damion Lee also officially signing a one-year veteran's minimum deal worth $2.8 million to return to the team himself and help alleviate the team's tax penalties a bit for this season.[43] On July 6, Royce O'Neale would officially re-sign with the Suns on a four-year deal worth $44 million (though $2 million would come from bonuses that are considered unlikely).[44] A day after that, Bol Bol would officially re-sign with the Suns on a one-year veteran's minimum deal as well, with a chance to be eligible for a greater deal with Phoenix the next upcoming season due to them gaining his Early Bird rights.[45] On July 10, both Ish Wainright and Eric Gordon would officially sign new contracts to play for the Hapoel Tel Aviv B.C. in Israel and the Philadelphia 76ers respectively.[46][47] On July 13, the Suns would potentially get their last player from last season's roster returning to them via free agency by re-signing Josh Okogie on a two-year deal worth $16 million.[48] On July 29, the Suns would officially trade David Roddy to the Atlanta Hawks for E. J. Liddell, who they plan to waive following the official signing of Washington Wizards point guard Tyus Jones to a one-year veteran's minimum deal worth $3,303,771.[49][50] Then, to round out their initial roster, on August 2, the Suns would sign Milwaukee Bucks point guard TyTy Washington Jr. to their last open two-way contract spot.[51]
After first reported as one of the first official removals from the team since free agency first began, Drew Eubanks would officially sign a new contract with the Utah Jazz on August 12.[52][53] A week after that, Udoka Azubuike would officially sign an overseas contract with the KK Budućnost VOLI out in Montenegro.[54] On August 27, it was not only confirmed that Saben Lee would play for Turkey's Manisa Basket (albeit only briefly),[55] but it was also confirmed that the Suns would officially waive both E. J. Liddell and Nassir Little from their team as well.[56][57] With Little's removal from the team in particular, the remainder of his now-three year deal worth $21,750,000 would now be paid by the Suns by an average of $3,107,143 per year throughout the next seven seasons, including this season until the end of the 2030–31 season.[58] E. J. Liddell later signed with the Chicago Bulls on September 7 before having his training camp deal converted to a two-way contract with their Windy City Bulls affiliate on October 18,[59] while Nassir Little would officially sign a one-year deal with the Miami Heat on September 24, though he'd be waived on October 19 after the end of the preseason, but would join the Sioux Falls Skyforce G League affiliate team on October 28.[60] By the end of the preseason, both Isaiah Thomas and Thaddeus Young would not find new teams to sign up with, either in the NBA or elsewhere. Meanwhile, the Suns would sign the likes of undrafted rookies Tyrese Samuel and Moses Wood (with Boo Buie initially included before he later signed with the New York Knicks[61][62]), Valley Suns acquired players Jaden Shackelford, Mamadi Diakite, David Stockton (son of Hall of Famer John Stockton), and Paul Watson, and Frank Kaminsky (who would return to the Suns for a third time and for four seasons now) for training camp and/or preseason purposes, with every one of those players being waived from the team by October 19 and having options to sign with the Valley Suns affiliate team afterward (with every one of those players that signed during that time outside of Frank Kaminsky joining the Valley Suns not long after that). As such, the Suns would leave their final roster spot open for the start of the regular season.
This is the second regular season where all the NBA teams will compete in a mid-season tournament following the success of the 2023 NBA In-Season Tournament, though this season's tournament would be renamed to the Emirates NBA Cup starting this season onward. On July 12, 2024, the NBA announced the drawing of each team's groups for this season's tournament. For the Suns, they would join the rivaling Los Angeles Lakers and Utah Jazz from last season's Group A with the Oklahoma City Thunder and the rivaling San Antonio Spurs in Group B for the Western Conference this season.[63]
With a 98–87 win for Team U.S.A. over the hosts in France on August 10 in the 2024 Summer Olympics, Devin Booker won his second straight Olympic gold medal and Kevin Durant won his fourth straight Olympic gold medal for men's basketball. Durant in particular would be the first basketball player to ever win four Olympic gold medals in one career.
Kevin Durant also broke the Olympic record for Team U.S.A. for the most points scored (previously set by Carmelo Anthony for the males and Lisa Leslie overall) and most rebounds grabbed (previously set by Carmelo Anthony) throughout an entire Olympic basketball career.[64]
On October 12–13, 2024, both long-time former Suns player Walter Davis and one-time former Suns player Vince Carter were officially inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame for the Class of 2024 (Davis' induction being posthumous) alongside former Phoenix Mercury All-Star Michele Timms.[65] The original induction period meant for August 16–17, 2024 was delayed until October due to scheduling conflicts relating to the 2024 Summer Olympics.[66]
Entering this season, Devin Booker became the fifth player in franchise history to spend at least a decade with the Phoenix Suns, joining the likes of Steve Nash (when combining his two stints with Phoenix together), Walter Davis, Kevin Johnson, and Alvan Adams as the only other players to accomplish such a feat.[67] Booker would officially place his mark on October 23, 2024, in the arena opening game against the Los Angeles Clippers at Intuit Dome, recording 15 points, 4 rebounds, and 6 assists before fouling out near the end of the fourth quarter in a tense 116–113 overtime win.
Week/Month
On November 4, 2024, Devin Booker won his tenth Player of the Week Award, winning it during the week of his 28th birthday from October 28–November 3, 2024. On that week, he would average 33.7 points on 48.4% shooting (which included a season-high 40-point performance on Halloween night at Intuit Dome, which is currently a record-high performance there), 6.3 assists, 5.7 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game during a perfect 3–0 week and a notably improved start over last season's performance thus far.[68]
All-Star
Records
On December 13, 2024, both the Phoenix Suns and Utah Jazz broke the record for the most three-pointers made in a non-overtime game, as well as tied the record for the most three-pointers made in single game with 44 made three-pointers between the two teams (22 made by both squads) in Phoenix's 134–126 win over the Jazz.[69] The game they tied the record with was the high-scoring double-overtime thriller between the Sacramento Kings and the Los Angeles Clippers on February 24, 2023 that saw the Kings survive with a 176–175 win (the second-highest scoring game in NBA history) despite Sacramento making 18 three-pointers when compared to the Clippers' 26 three-pointers that night.[70] However, it only tied the record for a total of two days before being broken on December 15 by the Dallas Mavericks and Golden State Warriors.[71]
Team records
On November 2, 2024, the Suns would shoot a new record-high 52 three-point field goal attempts (though making only 17 of them) in a 103–97 win over the Portland Trail Blazers. It would break a previous franchise record for attempts in a non-overtime game with the only game having more attempts being a double-overtime game in 2021 against the Denver Nuggets.[72]
Milestones
During the third game of the season, on October 26, 2024, Kevin Durant became the eighth player in NBA history to reach 29,000 career points.[73] He would surpass the mark with a three-pointer made with 7:15 left in the fourth quarter, later finishing the game with 31 total points scored in a 114–102 win over the defending Western Conference champion Dallas Mavericks in the Suns' home opener game.
Team milestones
During the second game of the season, on October 25, 2024, Devin Booker would be the sixth player in franchise history to break through the 3,000 assist barrier while with the Suns. Booker would record his 3,000th assist of his career by passing to Kevin Durant for a running lay-up with 6:33 left in the first quarter. He would join Jason Kidd, Walter Davis, Alvan Adams, Kevin Johnson, and Steve Nash as the only Suns players to reach that mark while with the franchise. Booker would end the night with 4 assists in a 123–116 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers.
On Halloween night, Devin Booker would surpass Jason Kidd's assist mark with the franchise first by tying it with a pass for a Kevin Durant lay-up with 6:17 left in the first quarter and then surpassing it with a pass for a three-pointer by rookie Ryan Dunn with 7:07 left in the second quarter. Booker would end the game with 8 assists and a season-high 40 point in a 125–119 comeback win over the Los Angeles Clippers on the road.
On December 3, 2024, Devin Booker would join Walter Davis to become the only other player in franchise history to score over 15,000 points with the Suns, as well the ninth youngest player in NBA history to reach that landmark. He would hit that mark at the start of the game with a mid-range jumpshot with 11:37 to start the game as the first basket made. Booker would later lead the entire team with 29 points, 9 rebounds, and 5 assists in a 104–93 win over the San Antonio Spurs in what ultimately became both teams' final games played in the 2024 NBA Cup.
