There’s no predicting where analysts and experts will rank the Phoenix Suns when the 2023-24 season draws closer. Be that as it may, one thing has been clear thus far — the Suns are the clear favorites, and they haven’t gotten their respect yet.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!A portion of that could be given to the lack of playoff success in recent years. To that, a valid point is to be made towards the competition. Teams such as the Denver Nuggets and Los Angeles Lakers both made it to the Western Conference Finals last season.
The former in Denver of course went on to win it all while ousting Phoenix in the second round. There’s also the slight factor of additional trades potentially being made by other contenders besides the Suns.
Yet in this time and space while chatter is to a minimum, the Suns seems to find themselves on the backburner whenever early predictions arise. That, in itself and alone, is the sole mistake made by pundits.
Roster Shakeouts
Los Angeles Lakers
The only team currently that comes close to the impressive moves made by the Suns would be the Lakers. After a severe beatdown of backlash, Rob Pelinka finally delivered an impressive roster to aid LeBron James and Anthony Davis in recent memory.
L.A. was able to cut back on a huge payday for Austin Reaves while also bringing back Rui Hachimura. They also added some needed scoring with Gabe Vincent and wing depth with Taurean Prince.
Still, health still plays a factor as a constant for the Lakers. James certainly isn’t getting younger despite defying the odds consistently. Along with that, as much praise that fans wish to heap at Davis, his availability is always in question.
Denver Nuggets
The Nuggets still have an extremely talented roster, with a decent amount of depth. Constants such as Nikola Jokić and Jamal Murray will always keep Denver in conversation. Aaron Gordon, Michael Porter, Jr. and recent standout Christian Braun are just the crème de la crème.
Even so, the new CBA has no friends and many foes. With that, the Nuggets couldn’t afford to go the distance to retain guard Bruce Brown, an integral piece of their title pursuit last season. It’s unclear if Denver would have been willing to match his two-year, $45 million deal with the Indiana Pacers.
Denver’s summer has been so far filled with two-way deals and veteran minimum deals, mostly with players that shouldn’t expect to see playing time.
Make no mistake, the Nuggets will still be a heavy favorite next year, but it’s surely difficult to place them lightyears ahead of the Suns.
Phoenix Suns
Bringing it back home, Suns owner Matt Ishbia turned once again into a juggernaut with the season concluding. He and James Jones added a solidified superstar in Bradley Beal while getting off Chris Paul’s contract.
The front office went even deeper into solidifying an already-stacked roster with the likes of Eric Gordon, Yuta Watanabe, Keita Bates-Diop and Drew Eubanks. Returning, serviceable players such as Damion Lee and Josh Okogie also round out an impressive roster.
The Suns now have from a talent perspective the more talented starting unit in the Western Conference, possibly in the league.
From that perspective, while the offseason is simmering down, it’s difficult not to label them the clear favorite.
