With the preseason officially underway, the NBA has revealed its general managers’ survey for the 2024-25 season and the Phoenix Suns were recognized for what they as a team and individual players could do this upcoming year.
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The Suns were picked to finish fifth in the Western Conference this season, and 7% of GMs believe they could end up in first. The Oklahoma City Thunder led the pack with 35% of the total vote followed by the Minnesota Timberwolves, Denver Nuggets, and Dallas Mavericks. Phoenix was given a 3% chance to finish both No. 2 and No. 3 and 23% in fourth.
| Team | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | %Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Oklahoma City | 80% | 10% | 3% | 35% | |
| 2. | Minnesota | 40% | 40% | 10% | 21% | |
| 3. | Denver | 7% | 27% | 27% | 20% | 17% |
| 4. | Dallas | 7% | 23% | 23% | 20% | 15% |
| 5. | Phoenix | 7% | 3% | 3% | 23% | 7% |
| 6. | Memphis | 3% | 7% | 10% | 3% | |
| 7. | New Orleans | 10% | 1% | |||
| 8. | Golden State | 3% | 0% |
KEY: %Total = Percentage of total points (four for 1st place vote, three for 2nd, two for 3rd, one for 4th)
With acquiring Tyus Jones, Mason Plumlee and Monte Morris as well as hiring head coach Mike Budenholzer, the Suns received votes for the most improved team heading into this new season. The Memphis Grizzlies garnered 67% of the polling while the San Antonio Spurs (13%) and Philadelphia 76ers (7%) were behind them.
Phoenix also gathered votes for the most exciting team to watch, the league’s most efficient offense and was ranked No. 4 in the hardest teams to predict their level of success (10%),
Devin Booker
After overwhelmingly being voted the best shooting guard in the NBA last season with 63% of the vote, Devin Booker is now second with 23%, trailing the Timberwolves’ Anthony Edwards with 33%.
Kevin Durant
Kevin Durant was included in a three-way tie with the Mavericks’ Luka Doncic and Los Angeles Lakers’ LeBron James for the second-best small forward in the league, all recording 17% of the vote. Boston Celtics’ Jayson Tatum was at 47% in first.
The Suns star was second in the best power forward polling with 7%. With a massive margin from the top to the rest of the NBA, Milwaukee Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo clearly was the favorite, registering 77%.
Durant also was recognized with votes for the purest shooter in the NBA, second for the player to trust the most with the game on the line (23%), and was tied for third with Tatum and San Antonio Spurs phenom Victor Wembanyama for the most versatile player (10%).
Tyus Jones
Signed to a one-year contract in the offseason, Jones joined Phoenix and is expected to be a huge addition to the roster. Because of this, the general managers ranked the acquisition as the third best in the offseason. Jones was tied with new Oklahoma City Thunder center Isaiah Hartenstein with 13% of the tallies. Thunder guard Alex Caruso (23%) narrowly topped Orlando Magic guard/forward Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (17%).
Jones to the Suns also got votes for the most surprising move in the offseason and who general managers can see be a head coach someday. Bradley Beal also was on the list for future head coaches.
Mike Budenholzer
Firing Frank Vogel after a 49-win season in his lone year in Phoenix, the Suns hired Budenholzer who has brought his championship pedigree to the team. Budenholzer has won the NBA title five times in his career in 1999, 2003, 2005, 2007 and 2021.
With his decorated resume and what he has accomplished, Budenholzer received votes for the best coach in the NBA. Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra (69%) was first, Thunder’s Mark Daigneault (17%) was second and Golden State Warriors’ Steve Kerr (7%) was third.
However, Budenholzer finished as the No. 1 head coach who will make the biggest impact in his first season with a new team.
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Reporter Alec Cipollini covers the Phoenix Mercury, Suns and ASU Athletics for Burn City Sports. You can follow him on his X account, @AlecCipollini
