The Phoenix Suns are currently preparing for the upcoming 2025-26 season, which is slated to begin in less than a month. The Suns enter this year without both Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal on the roster, following a tumultuous offseason that now sees Jalen Green and Dillon Brooks as supporting cast members around Devin Booker.
Recently, at media day, Booker got 100% real on his interactions with Brooks immediately following the trade that sent Durant to the Houston Rockets.
“[Dillon Brooks] called me immediately the day the trade went down… The guy you hate when he's not on your team, but you embrace him when he is. I think that whole reputation has taken away from what type of player he is,” said Booker, via Oh No He Didn't on X, formerly Twitter.
Brooks indeed has garnered more of a reputation for his antics and trash talk rather than his play on the floor, but he reminds a solid perimeter defender who can also knock down open threes on the other end of the floor.
Can the Suns stay competitive?
While Brooks is a complementary 3 and D player who could slide into seemingly any modern NBA rotation, there have been big concerns about the fit between Devin Booker and Jalen Green, both of whom play the two guard position and theoretically need the ball in their hands to be the best versions of themselves (although Booker did find success playing off the ball when he was teammates with Chris Paul).
In a crowded Western Conference playoff field, many are projecting the Suns to once again be on the outside looking in for the postseason this year. However, if new head coach Jordan Ott can find a way to get Booker and Green to complement one another as opposed to canceling each other out, there is an intriguing collection of talent still left on this Suns roster even after the losses of Durant and Beal.
In any case, the Suns are slated to kick off their 2025-26 season with a home game against the Sacramento Kings on October 22.
