Happy Wednesday! I hope your week is going well.
I’ll get to the Suns below, but first, today’s issue is actually the last of the week, as the PHNX Sports Daily will not be publishing tomorrow or Friday. That said, what are your plans for 4th of July weekend?! I want to hear from you, and would LOVE to publish some of the best responses next week. Shoot me an email (patrick@gophnx.com) with your best stories, most patriotic photos, or whatever other shenanigans you’re up to this weekend! (Keep it clean, please and thank you).
I sure hope you have a great weekend, and thanks for spending another week with me, even if it was a short one!
What’s that? You think I’m going to let you go without a joke? Wrong! Why is there no knock-knock joke about the 4th of July? Because freedom rings!
Have a safe, fun, holiday, and let’s run it back next week. On to the show!
How The Suns’ Roster Has Morphed in a Hurry
This is a totally different Suns team than what we saw even two weeks ago.
It sure didn’t take long.
It started well before then, to be fair, with the departure of former coach Mike Budenholzer and the hiring of general manager Brian Gregory. That jump-started a process that led to a new head coach (Jordan Ott), the eventual trade of the roster’s biggest superstar (Kevin Durant), and was all capped off by a little bit of luck on draft day.
Indeed, things have changed in a very short amount of time.
Arrivals and Departures Aplenty Since Gregory Has Taken Over The suns
The official NBA free agency process doesn’t start until July 6, but teams have been free to begin negotiations since Monday. As is the case in modern-day sports reporting, most of the expected moves have already been announced in some way, either by an outlet or an insider, but the below list of transactions is directly from the NBA’s website, for the sake of transparency.
Departures:
- Kevin Durant, traded to Rockets
- Tyus Jones, signing with Magic
- Vasilije Micić, traded to Hornets (and he’s since been traded again, poor guy).
- Mason Plumlee, signing with Hornets
- Cody Martin, waived
Obviously the biggest impact here was KD, and that move had been expected for some time. Gregory pulled the trigger leading up to draft day, securing the 10th overall pick for the Suns — more on that later.
Arrivals, NBA Draft:
- Khaman Maluach, 10th overall
- Rasheer Fleming, 31st overall
- Koby Brea, 41st overall
The 2025 NBA Draft was one heck of a first impression for Gregory, whose decision making was questioned after drafting Maluach literally seconds after trading for another center (more on that below). A stellar second round included monster-forward Rasheer Fleming, though, and the Suns overwhelmingly received positive reviews at the conclusion of the draft.
Arrivals, Trade or Free Agency
- Dillon Brooks, trade with Rockets
- Jalen Green, trade with Rockets
- Mark Williams, trade with Hornets
- Nigel Hayes-Davis, free agency
Williams arrived in the aforementioned trade prior to Maluach’s selection, and though it raised some eyebrows at the time, it does appear that Gregory’s plan is coming into focus. There was much speculation around whether the Suns would keep Green or try to flip him, but it appears they’re going to keep him, giving the former second overall pick (2021) a chance to grow his game alongside Devin Booker.
Another dark horse addition to the roster was Hayes-Davis, who played a combined nine games for three different teams in 2017-18 before moving on to Euroleague. This past season, the 30-year-old won the 2025 Euroleague title while being named the MVP.
More Moves Ahead?
Gregory may not be done, either. There are still some existing pieces that may draw attention from other NBA teams, including Nick Richards, Grayson Allen, Royce O’Neal and Bradley Beal. Beal, of course, controls his own destiny with a no-trade clause, but could be moved if he approves the destination.
There have also been rumblings of a Chris Paul reunion, so there may be more in store from a free agency perspective. In fact, Gerald wrote a fantastic story about other potential targets that’s still relevant today, and worth the read!
My Take: It’s been an exercise in patience since the beginning, and though I know it’s early, I believe Gregory has already earned the benefit of the doubt. That can change on a dime, but he has silenced his early critics, as was especially evident upon the completion of the NBA Draft (looking at you, Stephen A. Smith). Let’s face it, though they have been painfully close a handful of times, there has been no GM in team history that has delivered an NBA title to The Valley — so let’s continue to see how this plays out while heading into the 2025-26 season.
Two Straight: The Diamondbacks got a great start from Zac Gallen, who pitched seven innings while allowing two runs (one earned) on five hits in Arizona’s 8-2 win over the Giants. The D-backs have two games left against San Fran before hosting the Royals for three, from July 4-6.
Winging It: The Mercury visit Dallas on Thursday (5 pm, Arizona’s Family Sports), having won six of their last seven games. Phoenix is then off until Monday, when it hosts those same Wings at 7 pm.
Leavitt to Sam: Congrats to Sun Devil quarterback Sam Leavitt and wide receiver Jordyn Tyson, who were both named to the Walter Camp Football Foundation Preseason All-American teams — both received second-team nods. August 30 cannot get here soon enough!
Home, Sweet Home: Rising FC finally returns home after three straight road games, hosting Lexington SC on Friday at 7:30 pm (3TV). Phoenix is currently fifth in the USL Western Conference table, while Lexington is 12th with just three wins, and 14 points. Hopefully Rising FC can give fans a show, as Friday’s game is their only home game until Saturday, Aug. 2.
Tip Of The Hat By Branded Bills
Read up!
