The 2023β24 Phoenix Suns season was the 56th season of the franchise in the
National Basketball Association (NBA), as well as their 31st season at the
Footprint Center.[2] It is also the first full season under the ownership group led by
Mat Ishbia and
Justin Ishbia after the brothers purchased the team on February 8, 2023. It was the first season since
1971β72 without
Al McCoy broadcasting any games. He announced his retirement after the
2023 NBA playoffs.[3] It also was the first season the Suns moved their broadcasting services from
Bally Sports Arizona (previously named FSN Arizona and Fox Sports Arizona) back in 2003 to multiple Arizona-based TV networks broadcasting games through
Gray Television owned local networks
KTVK,
Arizona's Family Sports via multiple local networks, and
KOLD-TV (in the
Tucson region) alongside an over-the-top subscription service called "Suns Live" that was created by
Kiswe.[4] This was the first season since
2018β19 without head coach
Monty Williams after a second straight disappointing second-round exit. He was fired on May 13, 2023, despite having the team's first winning record as head coach since
Jeff Hornacek, the first overall winning record and first coach to make the playoffs since
Alvin Gentry, their first
NBA Coach of the Year Award winner since
Mike D'Antoni, and their first head coach since
Paul Westphal (and third overall alongside
John MacLeod) to reach the
NBA Finals, with one season left on his original deal.[5]
On June 6, the Suns hired
Frank Vogel (a championship-winning head coach in the
2020 NBA Finals[6]) over finalists
Doc Rivers (who won the NBA Finals in
2008) and associate coach
Kevin Young (who kept his job with a pay raise in mind),[7] with his new coaching staff made official on June 21.[8] On June 24, the Suns traded with the
Washington Wizards to acquire 3-time
All-Star shooting guard
Bradley Beal (alongside
Jordan Goodwin and
Isaiah Todd) in exchange for 12-time All-Star point guard
Chris Paul, shooting guard
Landry Shamet, six second-rounders, four first-round pick swaps, and cash,[9][10] though the deal was later considered a part of a three-way deal with the
Indiana Pacers.[11] This became the team's second trade for a star player in four months after trading for 13-time
NBA All-Star and 2-time
NBA Finals MVPKevin Durant during the previous season in February. During the month of July, the Suns made three more trades to gain more immediate draft capital on their end. On September 27, before training camp, the Suns traded center
Deandre Ayton and rookie
Toumani Camara to the
Portland Trail Blazers in a three-way deal that sent 7-time All-Star Trail Blazers guard
Damian Lillard to the
Milwaukee Bucks in exchange for Milwaukee shooting guard
Grayson Allen, Portland center
Jusuf NurkiΔ, and Portland guards
Nassir Little and
Keon Johnson (the last of whom was waived before the start of the regular season).[12] The Suns then made a three-team trade at the February 8, 2024 trade deadline with the
Brooklyn Nets and
Memphis Grizzlies to acquire Nets forward
Royce O'Neale and Grizzlies forward
David Roddy alongside a 2026 first-round pick swap with Memphis in exchange for mostly free agent acquisitions from earlier in the season in
Keita Bates-Diop,
Jordan Goodwin,
Yuta Watanabe,
Chimezie Metu, and three of the Suns' four remaining second-round picks they had at the time, and also signed veteran free agents
Thaddeus Young and
Isaiah Thomas (the latter of whom had played with the Suns during the
2014β15 season) in a final attempt to bolster up their roster for the season.
Throughout this season, the Suns dealt with constant challenges that had them performing below expectations early on, such as the delayed debut of their Big Three of
Devin Booker, Kevin Durant, and Bradley Beal together until December 13, 2023 (with them not even seeing consistent playing time together until the end of 2023 and the start of 2024) alongside injuries and poor fourth quarter production that would cost them some games, especially earlier in the season. Despite these consistent issues, including starting the season out with a 4β6 record and ending 2023 at 17β15, the Suns would still manage to obtain their fourth straight winning season in a row following a 131β106 blowout win over the
San Antonio Spurs on March 23, 2024. They would then match last season's win total with a 122β101 blowout win over the
Cleveland Cavaliers at home on April 3 and surpass it two days later with a 97β87 win over the then #1 Western Conference team, the
Minnesota Timberwolves. After a dramatic April that went down to the wire at times, the Suns secured the sixth playoff spot in the Western Conference, avoiding the
play-in tournament altogether due to a combination of a 125β106 blowout win over the Timberwolves and a 124β108
Los Angeles Lakers win over the
New Orleans Pelicans, with the Suns holding the series victory over the Pelicans 2-1 this season. The Suns were swept by the Timberwolves in 4 games, losing each game by an average margin of 18 points.
The Suns entered this draft with only a second-round pick after trading their first-round pick to acquire
Kevin Durant during the previous season.[13] With the 52nd pick, the Suns selected
Belgian power forward
Toumani Camara, who originally played for the
University of Georgia before transferring to the
University of Dayton after his sophomore season ended. During his time in Dayton, Camara was a part of the All-
Atlantic 10 Third Team in his junior year before entering both the All-Atlantic 10 First Team and the Atlantic 10 All-Defensive Team in his senior year. Camara signed a four-year, partially-guaranteed rookie-scaled deal on July 3, with years after his first season being guaranteed later on via his production with the team.[14] On September 27, Camara was traded alongside
Deandre Ayton to the
Portland Trail Blazers in a three-way deal that also saw Trail Blazers guard
Damian Lillard being sent to the
Milwaukee Bucks.[15]
This was the first regular season where all the NBA teams competed in a mid-season tournament setting due to the implementation of the
2023 NBA In-Season Tournament.[16][17] During the in-season tournament period, the Suns competed in Group A of the Western Conference, which included the
Memphis Grizzlies,
the long-time rivalingLos Angeles Lakers, the
Utah Jazz, and the
Portland Trail Blazers. After losing their first ever In-Season Tournament match in a close nailbiter to the rivaling Lakers, the Suns bounced back during their seven-game winning streak in November with a close victory over the Jazz to even up their point differential. They then won through more convincing, double-digit victories over the Trail Blazers and Grizzlies, thus securing a +34 point differential for the open Wild Card spot. Following an initial scare with the
New Orleans Pelicans on November 24 through them almost matching their point differential, the +34 score was enough of a difference maker for the Suns to advance as the Wild Card team of the Western Conference. Their next match in the event was on December 5 as a rematch against the Lakers, who already beat them twice earlier this season, with this game also counting as each team's 81st confirmed game of the regular season. This match also turned out to be their last, as this match ended controversially due to the referees allowing a timeout from the Lakers despite them not having possession of the ball at the time of them calling the timeout, which led to the Lakers winning 106β103 and later winning the inaugural In-Season Tournament afterward. As for the Suns, their 82nd game of the regular season was now going to involve a fifth match against the
Sacramento Kings, who lost to the
New Orleans Pelicans in the In-Season Tournament a match earlier.
Note: Times are
Eastern Time (
UTCβ4 or
UTCβ5) as listed by the NBA. If the venue is located in a different time zone, the local time is also given.
During their regular season home debut against the
Utah Jazz on October 28, 2023, the Phoenix Suns unveiled their "reimagined"
Ring of Honor with every member represented by either themself or family members being introduced by new owner
Mat Ishbia and being given commemorative watches by him before unveiling the new Ring of Honor design at halftime. With this event, the Suns made sure that
Tom Chambers,
Dan Majerle,
Charles Barkley, and
Steve Nash had their numbers properly retired by the team after only being honored initially.[19] The Suns ultimately won the game 126β104, though it was the last public appearance of
Walter Davis, who passed away days later through natural causes on November 2, 2023.[20]
Shawn Marion's number was retired on December 15, 2023 against the
New York Knicks.[21] Unlike prior retirement ceremonies for the Ring of Honor, this one happened after the end of the night's game, which ended in a brutal 139β122 defeat that also saw
Bradley Beal getting injured early in the game. However, the ceremony featured most existing Ring of Honor members, as well as Marion's past Suns teammates,
Dirk Nowitzki, and Marion's family members as guests of honor.
Amar'e Stoudemire's #32 was retired on March 2, 2024 against the
Houston Rockets.[22] Like most other Suns Ring of Honor ceremonies, this one happened at halftime instead of at the end of the game, which resulted in a 119β108 defeat that also saw injuries to
Jusuf NurkiΔ,
Devin Booker, and
Royce O'Neale during the game, as well as a surprise ejection toward
Bradley Beal during the third quarter. For this Ring of Honor ceremony, some former Suns teammates of Stoudemire's (primarily from the
Seven Seconds Or Less era, including Ring of Honor members
Steve Nash and
Shawn Marion) celebrated the ceremony alongside Stoudemire's wife and four children.
On November 27, 2023,
Devin Booker won his eighth Player of the Week Award, winning it for the period of November 20β26, 2023. That week Booker averaged 30.3 points (including a season-high 40 points from an In-Season Tournament match against the
Memphis Grizzlies), 7.8 assists, 5.3 rebounds, and 1.5 steals per game during a perfect 4β0 week. Booker holds the franchise record for most Player of the Week honors.[25]
On January 22, 2024,
Kevin Durant won his first Player of the Week Award with the Suns (32nd overall), for the period of January 15-21, 2024. During that week, Durant averaged 31.0 points on 60.0% field goal shooting (47.6% three-point shooting), 6.3 rebounds, and 2.3 blocks per game during a perfect 3β0 week, including a record game where he scored 40 points without attempting a single free-throw. Durant ranks third for the most Player of the Week Award honors behind
Kobe Bryant with 33 and
LeBron James who has 67 honors as of that date.[26] His teammate Devin Booker was also nominated for this week.[27]
One week after Kevin Durant won Player of the Week on January 22,
Devin Booker won the ninth Player of the Week Award of his career on January 29, 2024, winning the award for the week of January 22-28, 2024 despite the Suns finishing with a 2β2 record that week. During the week, Booker averaged 42.0 points through 63.9% field goal shooting, 70.1% two-point field goal shooting, 50.0% three-point shooting, and 82.9% free-throw shooting; he also averaged 5.0 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game. His lowest-scoring game that week was on January 22 with 16 points in a comeback win over the
Chicago Bulls, while his best scoring game happened on January 26 with 62 points scored in a crushing loss to the
Indiana Pacers on a night that also saw
Luka DonΔiΔ score 73 points in a win against the
Atlanta Hawks, though Booker and the Suns would beat DonΔiΔ and the Mavericks on January 24 with Booker starting a streak of scoring over 40 points during that week (and by extension, continuing a streak that saw at least one Suns player scoring at least 40 points starting back in January 19 by Booker himself).[28] Not only does this extend Booker's Player of the Week franchise record, but with Kevin Durant's Player of the Week honor from the prior week, it marked the first time that the Suns had players that won the award in back-to-back weeks since
Steve Nash won the award on January 21 & 28, 2007.[29]
Three days after winning his second Player of the Week Award of the season,
Devin Booker won his third Player of the Month Award for his career on February 1, 2023 for his performances throughout January 2023. With him previously winning the honor for both February 2021 and the combined months of October & November 2022, Booker broke a previous six-way tie between himself,
Charles Barkley,
Kevin Johnson,
Shawn Marion,
Steve Nash, and
Amar'e Stoudemire to become the sole franchise leader for most of these honors held in franchise history. Throughout the 16 games played in January 2023, Booker averaged 30.0 points on 53.9% field goal shooting and 40.0% three-point shooting, 6.3 assists, and 4.3 rebounds per game to give the Suns an 11-5 record for the month and help improve their standings by February 2024 after ending December 2023 with a barely above-average 17-15 record. Booker also achieved records previously held by
Michael Jordan and
Wilt Chamberlain during the team's seven-game road stretch that month.[30]
All-Star
On January 25, 2024,
Kevin Durant was voted by the NBA and its fans as one of the five Western Conference starters (and one of three frontcourt starters) for the
2024 NBA All-Star Game. This ties him for All-Star nods at seventh overall with 14 total All-Star selections in NBA history alongside other NBA greats like
Jerry West,
Michael Jordan,
Karl Malone, and
Dirk Nowitzki. This is also his first official selection to the All-Star Game as a starter while with the
Phoenix Suns properly (while he joined the team last season, he officially made the
2023 NBA All-Star Game as a member of the
Brooklyn Nets, plus he did not play at the event properly that year), thus making him the franchise's first official All-Star starter since
Steve Nash and
Amar'e Stoudemire were both named starters in 2010.[31] Durant would get 18 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists, and 2 steals in 24:51 of action as a starter in an unprecedented 211β186 defeat for the Western Conference.
Less than a week later, on the same day
Devin Booker won the Player of the Month Award for January 2023, on February 1, Devin Booker was also named one of the seven All-Star reserve players (as determined by the NBA's head coaches) for the Western Conference in the 2024 NBA All-Star Game. This not only became his fourth All-Star appearance in the last five seasons, but he joins
Connie Hawkins,
Paul Westphal,
Charles Barkley,
Shawn Marion,
Amar'e Stoudemire,
Walter Davis, and
Steve Nash as the only Suns players to have at least four All-Star selections while with the franchise.[32] Booker would get 15 points, 7 assists, 4 rebounds, and 2 steals in 19:05 of action off the bench for the Western Conference 211β186 defeat to the Eastern Conference.
Season
Grayson Allen finished the season as the season leader in three-point shooting percentage with 46.1% three-pointers made.[33] He became the second Suns player behind
Craig Hodges (and first player to be with the team throughout an entire season) to lead the NBA in three-point field goal shooting percentages in a season with 445 three-point field goal attempts.[34]
Records
On March 3, 2024,
Jusuf NurkiΔ tied a 21st century record for most rebounds in one game in NBA history (set by
Kevin Love in 2010) with 31 rebounds in a 118β110 loss to the
Oklahoma City Thunder.[35] He set this new career-high a day after being injured during the previous night's game by a bump with his teammate,
Josh Okogie.
On
April 1, 2024,
Devin Booker recorded his third straight game of scoring over 50 points against the
New Orleans Pelicans, this time scoring 52 points (including recording a new career-high eight three-pointers made) in a 124β111 win after previously scoring 52 earlier in the season on January 19, 2024 in a 123β109 win at New Orleans and scoring 58 last season on December 17, 2022 in a 118β114 win in Phoenix. He would tie
Wilt Chamberlain's record of three straight games of over 50 points in games with the
Philadelphia Warriors against the
Los Angeles Lakers early in the
1961β62 season as the only other player to record such a feat in the NBA against one specific opponent.[36]
Eleven days later, Grayson Allen tied the record with 9 three-pointers made for 27 points scored in a historic game where the Suns had a 22-point fourth quarter comeback and a 32β8 comeback stretch late in the game to upset the
Sacramento Kings to win 119β117 at home.[39]
On March 20, 2024, Grayson Allen had his third game of the season where he tied the franchise record of 9 three-pointers made with 32 points made in a 115β102 win over the
Philadelphia 76ers in a night that also saw
Kevin Durant surpass former Suns player
Shaquille O'Neal for the 8th-most points scored in the NBA and saw
Isaiah Thomas officially return to the Suns.[40]
On January 21, 2024,
Kevin Durant became the first player in franchise history to score 40 points in a game while not recording a single free-throw attempt.
On March 3, 2024,
Jusuf NurkiΔ broke the franchise record for most rebounds grabbed in a single game for the Suns with 31 in a 118β110 loss to the
Oklahoma City Thunder. The previous franchise record was 27 set by
Tyson Chandler in January 2016.[35]
On November 21, 2023, Kevin Durant passed
Elvin Hayes for 11th place on the NBA's all-time scoring list.[42] Durant scored 31 points during an In-Season Tournament match where they won 120β107 over
Deandre Ayton and the
Portland Trail Blazers.
On December 1, 2023, Kevin Durant passed
Moses Malone to enter the top 10 in the all-time scoring list.[43] Durant recorded a double-double of 30 points and 11 assists that night in a 119β111 loss to the defending champion
Denver Nuggets.
On February 23, 2024, Kevin Durant passed
Carmelo Anthony for 9th place on the NBA's all-time scoring list.[44] Durant surpassed Anthony around the start of the fourth quarter with a free-throw, later finishing the night with a double-double of 28 points and 11 rebounds in a 114β110 loss to the
Houston Rockets that also saw his teammate,
Bol Bol, get season-highs of 25 points and 14 rebounds off the bench that same game.
On March 20, 2024, Kevin Durant surpassed former Suns player
Shaquille O'Neal to finish the season in 8th place on the NBA's all-time scoring list.[45] Durant would surpass O'Neal with a midrange jumpshot at 10:22 in the third quarter and later finish the night with 22 points scored in a 115β102 win over the
Philadelphia 76ers on a night that also saw
Grayson Allen tie his personal record (and franchise record) for most three-pointers made in a single game for a third game this season and saw the official return of
Isaiah Thomas with the Suns.
Team milestones
On February 13, 2024,
Devin Booker surpassed long-time Suns center
Alvan Adams to become the second-highest scoring Suns player in franchise history, reaching a milestone high of 13,918 points at the end of the Suns' 130β125 win over the
Sacramento Kings.[46] He would first tie Adams' mark by hitting a game-changing shot that gave Phoenix the lead for good with 2:37 left in the fourth quarter before expanding the team's lead moments later with another mid-range jumpshot to surpass Adams with 2:16 left in the game.[47]
^I: Initially, the Phoenix Suns would acquire the least valuable pick between themselves and from either the
Washington Wizards or the
New York Knicks in 2024 due to a previous trade the Wizards and the Knicks did that allowed the Knicks the option to acquire the Wizards' first-round pick in 2024 if it was outside of the Top 12 that year. However, with their later trade with the
Memphis Grizzlies in July 2023, the Suns would now acquire the least valuable pick between themselves, the Wizards (or Knicks), and the Grizzlies, while the Grizzlies acquired the middle pick of the available options at hand instead. For the Suns, they ultimately kept their pick as it originally was (as the 22nd pick) anyway due to Washington utilizing their plans to tank this season for a high draft pick as one of the worst teams of the NBA during this time, Memphis suffering from many different injuries throughout the season to become a lottery team, and Phoenix becoming a last-minute Playoff team to close out the regular season. ^II: Originally, the Phoenix Suns would just acquire the least valuable pick between themselves and the Washington Wizards in 2026 due to their
Bradley Beal trade in June (although if the Wizards' 2025 first-round pick goes to the Knicks instead, the Suns would have automatically kept their pick by default due to the
Ted Stepien rule). However, due to their July trade with the
Orlando Magic, the Suns would have acquired the least valuable pick between themselves, the Wizards (presuming they keep their pick for 2026) and the Magic, with Orlando having unprotected swap rights in the process. Despite that, another trade with the Memphis Grizzlies being involved on the February 8, 2024 trade deadline now made it so that the Grizzlies would acquire the least valuable draft pick between Memphis themselves, the Suns, the Magic, and the Wizards, while the Suns would acquire the second-least valuable option at hand from those four teams. ^III: The Phoenix Suns will acquire the least valuable of the first-round picks in 2028 between themselves, the Washington Wizards, and either the
Brooklyn Nets or the
Philadelphia 76ers due to the combination of the Suns' trade for
Kevin Durant from the previous season and a trade the Nets did with the 76ers that allows them the option to acquire Philadelphia's first-round pick in 2028 if it is between picks 9 and 30. ^IV: The Phoenix Suns initially held the rights to only the least valuable first-round pick between themselves and the Washington Wizards in 2030 due to the
Bradley Beal trade in June. However, with their later trade with the Memphis Grizzlies in July, the Suns now would hold the least valuable first-round selection between themselves, the Grizzlies, and the Wizards, with Memphis holding the middle pick of the available options at hand. ^V: On October 25, 2023, the NBA punished the Phoenix Suns for tampering violations via engaging in free agency conversations with former
Portland Trail Blazers center
Drew Eubanks earlier than they were allowed to do so by taking away the 2024 second-round pick they had acquired from the defending champion
Denver Nuggets via the
Orlando Magic from their July trade with the Magic.[55] Had that pick been conveyed properly, it would have been a late second round pick for the
2024 NBA draft instead. ^VI: Due to previous trades the Orlando Magic had with both the
Detroit Pistons and the
Milwaukee Bucks, the Suns were originally involved with acquiring the least valuable second-round option between the Magic, Pistons, and Bucks in 2026. However, thanks to their three-team trade with the
Brooklyn Nets and Memphis Grizzlies on the February 8, 2024 trade deadline, the Brooklyn Nets would now get the least valuable second-round option from those three teams instead. ^VII: The
San Antonio Spurs' 2024 second-round pick that was traded from the
Cameron Payne deal in July allowed for the Phoenix Suns to acquire San Antonio's pick only if that selection was around picks #50β54. If San Antonio's pick went to around picks #55β58 for 2024 (there would be no 59th or 60th pick in that year's draft as of October 25, 2023 due to tampering violations relating to the Philadelphia 76ers in the previous season and the Phoenix Suns themselves this season), that pick would go to the
Boston Celtics instead due to a prior trade the Spurs did with the Celtics in the previous season. However, due to the Spurs being one of the worst teams in the NBA this season, the second-round pick would not be conveyed to Phoenix or Boston. Instead, it is now kept by San Antonio entering the
2024 NBA draft since it remained in the #31-49 range (specifically at pick #35).
The 2023β24 Phoenix Suns season was the 56th season of the franchise in the
National Basketball Association (NBA), as well as their 31st season at the
Footprint Center.[2] It is also the first full season under the ownership group led by
Mat Ishbia and
Justin Ishbia after the brothers purchased the team on February 8, 2023. It was the first season since
1971β72 without
Al McCoy broadcasting any games. He announced his retirement after the
2023 NBA playoffs.[3] It also was the first season the Suns moved their broadcasting services from
Bally Sports Arizona (previously named FSN Arizona and Fox Sports Arizona) back in 2003 to multiple Arizona-based TV networks broadcasting games through
Gray Television owned local networks
KTVK,
Arizona's Family Sports via multiple local networks, and
KOLD-TV (in the
Tucson region) alongside an over-the-top subscription service called "Suns Live" that was created by
Kiswe.[4] This was the first season since
2018β19 without head coach
Monty Williams after a second straight disappointing second-round exit. He was fired on May 13, 2023, despite having the team's first winning record as head coach since
Jeff Hornacek, the first overall winning record and first coach to make the playoffs since
Alvin Gentry, their first
NBA Coach of the Year Award winner since
Mike D'Antoni, and their first head coach since
Paul Westphal (and third overall alongside
John MacLeod) to reach the
NBA Finals, with one season left on his original deal.[5]
On June 6, the Suns hired
Frank Vogel (a championship-winning head coach in the
2020 NBA Finals[6]) over finalists
Doc Rivers (who won the NBA Finals in
2008) and associate coach
Kevin Young (who kept his job with a pay raise in mind),[7] with his new coaching staff made official on June 21.[8] On June 24, the Suns traded with the
Washington Wizards to acquire 3-time
All-Star shooting guard
Bradley Beal (alongside
Jordan Goodwin and
Isaiah Todd) in exchange for 12-time All-Star point guard
Chris Paul, shooting guard
Landry Shamet, six second-rounders, four first-round pick swaps, and cash,[9][10] though the deal was later considered a part of a three-way deal with the
Indiana Pacers.[11] This became the team's second trade for a star player in four months after trading for 13-time
NBA All-Star and 2-time
NBA Finals MVPKevin Durant during the previous season in February. During the month of July, the Suns made three more trades to gain more immediate draft capital on their end. On September 27, before training camp, the Suns traded center
Deandre Ayton and rookie
Toumani Camara to the
Portland Trail Blazers in a three-way deal that sent 7-time All-Star Trail Blazers guard
Damian Lillard to the
Milwaukee Bucks in exchange for Milwaukee shooting guard
Grayson Allen, Portland center
Jusuf NurkiΔ, and Portland guards
Nassir Little and
Keon Johnson (the last of whom was waived before the start of the regular season).[12] The Suns then made a three-team trade at the February 8, 2024 trade deadline with the
Brooklyn Nets and
Memphis Grizzlies to acquire Nets forward
Royce O'Neale and Grizzlies forward
David Roddy alongside a 2026 first-round pick swap with Memphis in exchange for mostly free agent acquisitions from earlier in the season in
Keita Bates-Diop,
Jordan Goodwin,
Yuta Watanabe,
Chimezie Metu, and three of the Suns' four remaining second-round picks they had at the time, and also signed veteran free agents
Thaddeus Young and
Isaiah Thomas (the latter of whom had played with the Suns during the
2014β15 season) in a final attempt to bolster up their roster for the season.
Throughout this season, the Suns dealt with constant challenges that had them performing below expectations early on, such as the delayed debut of their Big Three of
Devin Booker, Kevin Durant, and Bradley Beal together until December 13, 2023 (with them not even seeing consistent playing time together until the end of 2023 and the start of 2024) alongside injuries and poor fourth quarter production that would cost them some games, especially earlier in the season. Despite these consistent issues, including starting the season out with a 4β6 record and ending 2023 at 17β15, the Suns would still manage to obtain their fourth straight winning season in a row following a 131β106 blowout win over the
San Antonio Spurs on March 23, 2024. They would then match last season's win total with a 122β101 blowout win over the
Cleveland Cavaliers at home on April 3 and surpass it two days later with a 97β87 win over the then #1 Western Conference team, the
Minnesota Timberwolves. After a dramatic April that went down to the wire at times, the Suns secured the sixth playoff spot in the Western Conference, avoiding the
play-in tournament altogether due to a combination of a 125β106 blowout win over the Timberwolves and a 124β108
Los Angeles Lakers win over the
New Orleans Pelicans, with the Suns holding the series victory over the Pelicans 2-1 this season. The Suns were swept by the Timberwolves in 4 games, losing each game by an average margin of 18 points.
The Suns entered this draft with only a second-round pick after trading their first-round pick to acquire
Kevin Durant during the previous season.[13] With the 52nd pick, the Suns selected
Belgian power forward
Toumani Camara, who originally played for the
University of Georgia before transferring to the
University of Dayton after his sophomore season ended. During his time in Dayton, Camara was a part of the All-
Atlantic 10 Third Team in his junior year before entering both the All-Atlantic 10 First Team and the Atlantic 10 All-Defensive Team in his senior year. Camara signed a four-year, partially-guaranteed rookie-scaled deal on July 3, with years after his first season being guaranteed later on via his production with the team.[14] On September 27, Camara was traded alongside
Deandre Ayton to the
Portland Trail Blazers in a three-way deal that also saw Trail Blazers guard
Damian Lillard being sent to the
Milwaukee Bucks.[15]
This was the first regular season where all the NBA teams competed in a mid-season tournament setting due to the implementation of the
2023 NBA In-Season Tournament.[16][17] During the in-season tournament period, the Suns competed in Group A of the Western Conference, which included the
Memphis Grizzlies,
the long-time rivalingLos Angeles Lakers, the
Utah Jazz, and the
Portland Trail Blazers. After losing their first ever In-Season Tournament match in a close nailbiter to the rivaling Lakers, the Suns bounced back during their seven-game winning streak in November with a close victory over the Jazz to even up their point differential. They then won through more convincing, double-digit victories over the Trail Blazers and Grizzlies, thus securing a +34 point differential for the open Wild Card spot. Following an initial scare with the
New Orleans Pelicans on November 24 through them almost matching their point differential, the +34 score was enough of a difference maker for the Suns to advance as the Wild Card team of the Western Conference. Their next match in the event was on December 5 as a rematch against the Lakers, who already beat them twice earlier this season, with this game also counting as each team's 81st confirmed game of the regular season. This match also turned out to be their last, as this match ended controversially due to the referees allowing a timeout from the Lakers despite them not having possession of the ball at the time of them calling the timeout, which led to the Lakers winning 106β103 and later winning the inaugural In-Season Tournament afterward. As for the Suns, their 82nd game of the regular season was now going to involve a fifth match against the
Sacramento Kings, who lost to the
New Orleans Pelicans in the In-Season Tournament a match earlier.
Note: Times are
Eastern Time (
UTCβ4 or
UTCβ5) as listed by the NBA. If the venue is located in a different time zone, the local time is also given.
During their regular season home debut against the
Utah Jazz on October 28, 2023, the Phoenix Suns unveiled their "reimagined"
Ring of Honor with every member represented by either themself or family members being introduced by new owner
Mat Ishbia and being given commemorative watches by him before unveiling the new Ring of Honor design at halftime. With this event, the Suns made sure that
Tom Chambers,
Dan Majerle,
Charles Barkley, and
Steve Nash had their numbers properly retired by the team after only being honored initially.[19] The Suns ultimately won the game 126β104, though it was the last public appearance of
Walter Davis, who passed away days later through natural causes on November 2, 2023.[20]
Shawn Marion's number was retired on December 15, 2023 against the
New York Knicks.[21] Unlike prior retirement ceremonies for the Ring of Honor, this one happened after the end of the night's game, which ended in a brutal 139β122 defeat that also saw
Bradley Beal getting injured early in the game. However, the ceremony featured most existing Ring of Honor members, as well as Marion's past Suns teammates,
Dirk Nowitzki, and Marion's family members as guests of honor.
Amar'e Stoudemire's #32 was retired on March 2, 2024 against the
Houston Rockets.[22] Like most other Suns Ring of Honor ceremonies, this one happened at halftime instead of at the end of the game, which resulted in a 119β108 defeat that also saw injuries to
Jusuf NurkiΔ,
Devin Booker, and
Royce O'Neale during the game, as well as a surprise ejection toward
Bradley Beal during the third quarter. For this Ring of Honor ceremony, some former Suns teammates of Stoudemire's (primarily from the
Seven Seconds Or Less era, including Ring of Honor members
Steve Nash and
Shawn Marion) celebrated the ceremony alongside Stoudemire's wife and four children.
On November 27, 2023,
Devin Booker won his eighth Player of the Week Award, winning it for the period of November 20β26, 2023. That week Booker averaged 30.3 points (including a season-high 40 points from an In-Season Tournament match against the
Memphis Grizzlies), 7.8 assists, 5.3 rebounds, and 1.5 steals per game during a perfect 4β0 week. Booker holds the franchise record for most Player of the Week honors.[25]
On January 22, 2024,
Kevin Durant won his first Player of the Week Award with the Suns (32nd overall), for the period of January 15-21, 2024. During that week, Durant averaged 31.0 points on 60.0% field goal shooting (47.6% three-point shooting), 6.3 rebounds, and 2.3 blocks per game during a perfect 3β0 week, including a record game where he scored 40 points without attempting a single free-throw. Durant ranks third for the most Player of the Week Award honors behind
Kobe Bryant with 33 and
LeBron James who has 67 honors as of that date.[26] His teammate Devin Booker was also nominated for this week.[27]
One week after Kevin Durant won Player of the Week on January 22,
Devin Booker won the ninth Player of the Week Award of his career on January 29, 2024, winning the award for the week of January 22-28, 2024 despite the Suns finishing with a 2β2 record that week. During the week, Booker averaged 42.0 points through 63.9% field goal shooting, 70.1% two-point field goal shooting, 50.0% three-point shooting, and 82.9% free-throw shooting; he also averaged 5.0 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game. His lowest-scoring game that week was on January 22 with 16 points in a comeback win over the
Chicago Bulls, while his best scoring game happened on January 26 with 62 points scored in a crushing loss to the
Indiana Pacers on a night that also saw
Luka DonΔiΔ score 73 points in a win against the
Atlanta Hawks, though Booker and the Suns would beat DonΔiΔ and the Mavericks on January 24 with Booker starting a streak of scoring over 40 points during that week (and by extension, continuing a streak that saw at least one Suns player scoring at least 40 points starting back in January 19 by Booker himself).[28] Not only does this extend Booker's Player of the Week franchise record, but with Kevin Durant's Player of the Week honor from the prior week, it marked the first time that the Suns had players that won the award in back-to-back weeks since
Steve Nash won the award on January 21 & 28, 2007.[29]
Three days after winning his second Player of the Week Award of the season,
Devin Booker won his third Player of the Month Award for his career on February 1, 2023 for his performances throughout January 2023. With him previously winning the honor for both February 2021 and the combined months of October & November 2022, Booker broke a previous six-way tie between himself,
Charles Barkley,
Kevin Johnson,
Shawn Marion,
Steve Nash, and
Amar'e Stoudemire to become the sole franchise leader for most of these honors held in franchise history. Throughout the 16 games played in January 2023, Booker averaged 30.0 points on 53.9% field goal shooting and 40.0% three-point shooting, 6.3 assists, and 4.3 rebounds per game to give the Suns an 11-5 record for the month and help improve their standings by February 2024 after ending December 2023 with a barely above-average 17-15 record. Booker also achieved records previously held by
Michael Jordan and
Wilt Chamberlain during the team's seven-game road stretch that month.[30]
All-Star
On January 25, 2024,
Kevin Durant was voted by the NBA and its fans as one of the five Western Conference starters (and one of three frontcourt starters) for the
2024 NBA All-Star Game. This ties him for All-Star nods at seventh overall with 14 total All-Star selections in NBA history alongside other NBA greats like
Jerry West,
Michael Jordan,
Karl Malone, and
Dirk Nowitzki. This is also his first official selection to the All-Star Game as a starter while with the
Phoenix Suns properly (while he joined the team last season, he officially made the
2023 NBA All-Star Game as a member of the
Brooklyn Nets, plus he did not play at the event properly that year), thus making him the franchise's first official All-Star starter since
Steve Nash and
Amar'e Stoudemire were both named starters in 2010.[31] Durant would get 18 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists, and 2 steals in 24:51 of action as a starter in an unprecedented 211β186 defeat for the Western Conference.
Less than a week later, on the same day
Devin Booker won the Player of the Month Award for January 2023, on February 1, Devin Booker was also named one of the seven All-Star reserve players (as determined by the NBA's head coaches) for the Western Conference in the 2024 NBA All-Star Game. This not only became his fourth All-Star appearance in the last five seasons, but he joins
Connie Hawkins,
Paul Westphal,
Charles Barkley,
Shawn Marion,
Amar'e Stoudemire,
Walter Davis, and
Steve Nash as the only Suns players to have at least four All-Star selections while with the franchise.[32] Booker would get 15 points, 7 assists, 4 rebounds, and 2 steals in 19:05 of action off the bench for the Western Conference 211β186 defeat to the Eastern Conference.
Season
Grayson Allen finished the season as the season leader in three-point shooting percentage with 46.1% three-pointers made.[33] He became the second Suns player behind
Craig Hodges (and first player to be with the team throughout an entire season) to lead the NBA in three-point field goal shooting percentages in a season with 445 three-point field goal attempts.[34]
Records
On March 3, 2024,
Jusuf NurkiΔ tied a 21st century record for most rebounds in one game in NBA history (set by
Kevin Love in 2010) with 31 rebounds in a 118β110 loss to the
Oklahoma City Thunder.[35] He set this new career-high a day after being injured during the previous night's game by a bump with his teammate,
Josh Okogie.
On
April 1, 2024,
Devin Booker recorded his third straight game of scoring over 50 points against the
New Orleans Pelicans, this time scoring 52 points (including recording a new career-high eight three-pointers made) in a 124β111 win after previously scoring 52 earlier in the season on January 19, 2024 in a 123β109 win at New Orleans and scoring 58 last season on December 17, 2022 in a 118β114 win in Phoenix. He would tie
Wilt Chamberlain's record of three straight games of over 50 points in games with the
Philadelphia Warriors against the
Los Angeles Lakers early in the
1961β62 season as the only other player to record such a feat in the NBA against one specific opponent.[36]
Eleven days later, Grayson Allen tied the record with 9 three-pointers made for 27 points scored in a historic game where the Suns had a 22-point fourth quarter comeback and a 32β8 comeback stretch late in the game to upset the
Sacramento Kings to win 119β117 at home.[39]
On March 20, 2024, Grayson Allen had his third game of the season where he tied the franchise record of 9 three-pointers made with 32 points made in a 115β102 win over the
Philadelphia 76ers in a night that also saw
Kevin Durant surpass former Suns player
Shaquille O'Neal for the 8th-most points scored in the NBA and saw
Isaiah Thomas officially return to the Suns.[40]
On January 21, 2024,
Kevin Durant became the first player in franchise history to score 40 points in a game while not recording a single free-throw attempt.
On March 3, 2024,
Jusuf NurkiΔ broke the franchise record for most rebounds grabbed in a single game for the Suns with 31 in a 118β110 loss to the
Oklahoma City Thunder. The previous franchise record was 27 set by
Tyson Chandler in January 2016.[35]
On November 21, 2023, Kevin Durant passed
Elvin Hayes for 11th place on the NBA's all-time scoring list.[42] Durant scored 31 points during an In-Season Tournament match where they won 120β107 over
Deandre Ayton and the
Portland Trail Blazers.
On December 1, 2023, Kevin Durant passed
Moses Malone to enter the top 10 in the all-time scoring list.[43] Durant recorded a double-double of 30 points and 11 assists that night in a 119β111 loss to the defending champion
Denver Nuggets.
On February 23, 2024, Kevin Durant passed
Carmelo Anthony for 9th place on the NBA's all-time scoring list.[44] Durant surpassed Anthony around the start of the fourth quarter with a free-throw, later finishing the night with a double-double of 28 points and 11 rebounds in a 114β110 loss to the
Houston Rockets that also saw his teammate,
Bol Bol, get season-highs of 25 points and 14 rebounds off the bench that same game.
On March 20, 2024, Kevin Durant surpassed former Suns player
Shaquille O'Neal to finish the season in 8th place on the NBA's all-time scoring list.[45] Durant would surpass O'Neal with a midrange jumpshot at 10:22 in the third quarter and later finish the night with 22 points scored in a 115β102 win over the
Philadelphia 76ers on a night that also saw
Grayson Allen tie his personal record (and franchise record) for most three-pointers made in a single game for a third game this season and saw the official return of
Isaiah Thomas with the Suns.
Team milestones
On February 13, 2024,
Devin Booker surpassed long-time Suns center
Alvan Adams to become the second-highest scoring Suns player in franchise history, reaching a milestone high of 13,918 points at the end of the Suns' 130β125 win over the
Sacramento Kings.[46] He would first tie Adams' mark by hitting a game-changing shot that gave Phoenix the lead for good with 2:37 left in the fourth quarter before expanding the team's lead moments later with another mid-range jumpshot to surpass Adams with 2:16 left in the game.[47]
^I: Initially, the Phoenix Suns would acquire the least valuable pick between themselves and from either the
Washington Wizards or the
New York Knicks in 2024 due to a previous trade the Wizards and the Knicks did that allowed the Knicks the option to acquire the Wizards' first-round pick in 2024 if it was outside of the Top 12 that year. However, with their later trade with the
Memphis Grizzlies in July 2023, the Suns would now acquire the least valuable pick between themselves, the Wizards (or Knicks), and the Grizzlies, while the Grizzlies acquired the middle pick of the available options at hand instead. For the Suns, they ultimately kept their pick as it originally was (as the 22nd pick) anyway due to Washington utilizing their plans to tank this season for a high draft pick as one of the worst teams of the NBA during this time, Memphis suffering from many different injuries throughout the season to become a lottery team, and Phoenix becoming a last-minute Playoff team to close out the regular season. ^II: Originally, the Phoenix Suns would just acquire the least valuable pick between themselves and the Washington Wizards in 2026 due to their
Bradley Beal trade in June (although if the Wizards' 2025 first-round pick goes to the Knicks instead, the Suns would have automatically kept their pick by default due to the
Ted Stepien rule). However, due to their July trade with the
Orlando Magic, the Suns would have acquired the least valuable pick between themselves, the Wizards (presuming they keep their pick for 2026) and the Magic, with Orlando having unprotected swap rights in the process. Despite that, another trade with the Memphis Grizzlies being involved on the February 8, 2024 trade deadline now made it so that the Grizzlies would acquire the least valuable draft pick between Memphis themselves, the Suns, the Magic, and the Wizards, while the Suns would acquire the second-least valuable option at hand from those four teams. ^III: The Phoenix Suns will acquire the least valuable of the first-round picks in 2028 between themselves, the Washington Wizards, and either the
Brooklyn Nets or the
Philadelphia 76ers due to the combination of the Suns' trade for
Kevin Durant from the previous season and a trade the Nets did with the 76ers that allows them the option to acquire Philadelphia's first-round pick in 2028 if it is between picks 9 and 30. ^IV: The Phoenix Suns initially held the rights to only the least valuable first-round pick between themselves and the Washington Wizards in 2030 due to the
Bradley Beal trade in June. However, with their later trade with the Memphis Grizzlies in July, the Suns now would hold the least valuable first-round selection between themselves, the Grizzlies, and the Wizards, with Memphis holding the middle pick of the available options at hand. ^V: On October 25, 2023, the NBA punished the Phoenix Suns for tampering violations via engaging in free agency conversations with former
Portland Trail Blazers center
Drew Eubanks earlier than they were allowed to do so by taking away the 2024 second-round pick they had acquired from the defending champion
Denver Nuggets via the
Orlando Magic from their July trade with the Magic.[55] Had that pick been conveyed properly, it would have been a late second round pick for the
2024 NBA draft instead. ^VI: Due to previous trades the Orlando Magic had with both the
Detroit Pistons and the
Milwaukee Bucks, the Suns were originally involved with acquiring the least valuable second-round option between the Magic, Pistons, and Bucks in 2026. However, thanks to their three-team trade with the
Brooklyn Nets and Memphis Grizzlies on the February 8, 2024 trade deadline, the Brooklyn Nets would now get the least valuable second-round option from those three teams instead. ^VII: The
San Antonio Spurs' 2024 second-round pick that was traded from the
Cameron Payne deal in July allowed for the Phoenix Suns to acquire San Antonio's pick only if that selection was around picks #50β54. If San Antonio's pick went to around picks #55β58 for 2024 (there would be no 59th or 60th pick in that year's draft as of October 25, 2023 due to tampering violations relating to the Philadelphia 76ers in the previous season and the Phoenix Suns themselves this season), that pick would go to the
Boston Celtics instead due to a prior trade the Spurs did with the Celtics in the previous season. However, due to the Spurs being one of the worst teams in the NBA this season, the second-round pick would not be conveyed to Phoenix or Boston. Instead, it is now kept by San Antonio entering the
2024 NBA draft since it remained in the #31-49 range (specifically at pick #35).