The biggest issue facing Suns and how they can solve it

Phoenix Suns general manager James Jones.

The Minnesota Timberwolves’ sweep of Phoenix in the first round of the playoffs exposed the Suns’ greatest weakness: point guard.

The Suns currently don’t have a traditional point guard in their rotation, as their primary option at the position is star Devin Booker (27.1 PPG, 6.9 APG this season), who’s really a shooting guard.

Booker’s assist total is a respectable number at face value and his play can suffice during the regular season (Phoenix went 49-33 this season). However, in the playoffs, when teams zero in defensively, his play led to a stagnant, isolation-heavy offense.

The redundancy of skillsets (isolation-heavy, low off-ball movement) among Phoenix’s top three scorers (Booker, Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal) compounded the issues that come with not having a true point guard.

Phoenix’s halfcourt sets became predictable, and its lack of playmaking in the “my turn, your turn” offense often led to one of its two elite scorers (Booker, Durant) getting relegated to the side.

With Phoenix having no other reliable facilitator, Minnesota bottled up Booker for a majority of the series. The nine-year veteran went off for 49 points in the fourth game, but with Phoenix already down 3-0 in the series, it was clearly too little, too late.

The clunky offensive fit of Durant, Booker and Beal wasn’t just noticed by fans and analysts.

Sources told The Athletic that “Durant never felt comfortable with his role in Phoenix’s offense alongside Booker and Beal this season… feeling that he was being relegated to the corner far too often.”

The acquisition by Phoenix of a traditional point guard would take much of the playmaking responsibilities from Booker and Durant and thus maximize the scoring of the team’s two best players.

For majority owner Matt Ishbia to salvage his nearly $200 million experiment — that’s Phoenix’ approximate projected payroll next season — the team must get a competent veteran point guard.

Here are two potential options for the Suns, who, as ESPN’s Brian Windhorst wrote recently, face huge challenges to retool their roster.

Malcolm Brogdon | Portland Trail Blazers

A deal involving a Brogdon (15.7 PPG and 5.5 APG) for 7-foot Suns center Jusuf Nurkic (10.9 PPG) would likely require a third team, as Portland already has two centers on its roster (Deandre Ayton, Robert Williams III).

Dating to the trade deadline, Brogdon has been subject of trade rumors because the eight-year veteran does not fit Portland’s rebuild timeline. The Trail Blazers should be willing to deal the 2017 Rookie of the Year for the right price.

Dennis Schroder | Brooklyn Nets

Schroder (14 PPG and 6.1 APG) is another player the Suns should monitor.

In a news conference introducing new head coach Jordi Fernandez, Brooklyn Nets general manager Sean Marks stated interest in trading into this year’s NBA Draft. With Phoenix still owning its 22nd pick this year, a trade could be attractive for Marks.

While Brogdon ($22.5M salary in 2024-25) or Schroder ($13 million) aren’t the ideal championship point guards, either would at least provide a stabilizing veteran presence for the Suns as a primary ballhandler. Additionally, both players are within the ballpark of Nurkic’s $16.9 million salary, thus making a trade possible.

Phoenix also could make up for Nurkic’s scoring and average interior defense at a fraction of the cost via a trade (combination of its current picks and Eric Gordon) or free agency.

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