From polarizing extensions to a high-stakes trade for Miles Bridges, Brian Gregory’s latest roster gambles have experts questioning if Phoenix secured its future or surrendered its depth.
A new Phoenix Suns season is directly on the horizon.
The Suns are opening up the runway into the 2026-27 regular season with training camp on Sept. 29, signifying the further entrenchment into a new era.
The next set of moves that signaled a shift took place over the course of this offseason, with several moves drawing praise, while others drew ire.
The moves that are drawing near-unanimous praise include the four-year, $48 million deal to keep guard Collin Gillespie in the Valley, as well as the three-year, $18 million contract awarded to defensive specialist Jordan Goodwin. The move to trade up in June's draft to acquire Arizona product Koa Peat is also becoming more widely accepted.
That's about where the praise ends.
This comes into focus in the 'D+' grade that Bleacher Report gives Phoenix and GM Brian Gregory for the offseason as an entire entity.
Hughes already sees the three-year, $38 million contract to bring center Mark Williams back to Phoenix as a swing-and-miss. This is in lieu of Williams recovering from labrum surgery that will keep him out of the lineup for multiple months.
Further compounding the negatives is trading away a 2033 unprotected first-round draft pick, Royce O'Neale, and Grayson Allen for former lottery pick Miles Bridges.
While these moves have real reasons behind critiquing them, they aren't quite disastrous enough to give Phoenix a borderline failing grade for the work done this offseason. The Williams deal ensures that the former first-round pick received security, while the Suns are keeping a starting-caliber center in the fold for below-market value. Williams' contract is also easier to trade than one might believe.
As far as Bridges goes - it certainly can be argued that Phoenix trading away the 2033 first-round pick will be of detriment to them long-term. A compelling case can also be made that the Suns should have targeted a different player. However, there is a legitimate reason to believe that both O'Neale and Allen are on the downswing, and that staying ahead of the curve in that lane is a wise move - even in mid-2026.
Beyond this, the Suns kept fan-favorite Dillon Brooks in the fold for several more seasons with a contract extension. All in all, the Suns largely prioritized continuity, while also taking a small number of risky swings to boost the ceiling of the 2026-27 squad in particular.
Time will tell how these moves age, but Gregory hasn't given fans any reason to not believe in the vision he is setting out to accomplish.
