Suns @ Thunder 2026 Playoffs Sunday Game 1 Thread, 4-19-2026

[Mainstreet]

I’ll go so far as to suggest we DO need at least one legit star at the 4 or 5.

Yeah, his name is Rasheer Fleming. We'll see how Khaman Maluach develops. He might get there too.

 

[Raindog]

Yeah, his name is Rasheer Fleming. We'll see how Khaman Maluach develops. He might get there too.

Anointing him already? Seems a bit premature, but we can hope.

 

[Mainstreet]

Anointing him already? Seems a bit premature, but we can hope.

I liked him before the draft and I still like him now.

However, nothing is guaranteed, but I like the probability he becomes one.

 

[AzStevenCal]

Anointing him already? Seems a bit premature, but we can hope.

I think he has the potential to be a star but we'll see.

 

[Chaplin]

Guess that also depends on if you think a team stuck in purgatory is relevant also though. This season was a really nice surprise for a lot of us because we expected the team to be bad... like really, really bad, so ending up an 8 seed and just in the playoff hunt was refreshing after last year's complete disaster.

I can't help but wonder if that's our ceiling for the foreseeable future, especially as Devin ages, slows down, gets more injury prone and becomes even less of a star than he's already slid. And if that is the case, that leaves us as a perennial play-in team and for me, I don't think being a perennial play-in team is really relevant.. And I think that's what we're kinda looking at unless guys like Fleming/Malauch takes just HUGE steps forward.

But, like I said... I thought we'd be awful this year, so maybe there are great leaps taken forward.

As to the "we don't have our picks" argument... I get that we don't have our pick control, but we do still have picks and the idea is that a Booker trade could get us more and the more cracks at the apple, the better chance of adding talent for the future.

Either way, even respectability and being a fun playoff team that can steal a series is a long way off, Booker or no Booker.

We certainly can hope we don't wait too long, but at the end of the day, there is zero evidence yet that we will be the perennial bridesmaids instead of the bride like we were through the majority of the 90s.

 

[Chaplin]

I liked him before the draft and I still like him now.

However, nothing is guaranteed, but I like the probability he becomes one.

That sounds eerily familiar. Oh yes, we were saying essentially the same exact thing about Ryan Dunn.

 

[Carolinacacti]

Suns were killing it with Dillon, Colin and Grayson. All got hurt and went off a cliff. If Ott will not play the rookies then play Coffey and Highsmith. Ott has to change it up. I think Flemming will be good , ManMan will take years but should pan out

 

[Mainstreet]

That sounds eerily familiar. Oh yes, we were saying essentially the same exact thing about Ryan Dunn.

Never sure about Ryan Dunn. I thought De'Aaron Fox, Shai Alexander and Tyrese Haliburton would be really good though.

 

[elindholm]

this is all totally hypothetical, and will never happen, but maybe a fun thought experiment - who do we think would even be a team that would look to trade for Booker?

Another way of phrasing that is, which teams could move out $60 million in salary without gutting their roster?

 

[Cheesebeef]

We certainly can hope we don't wait too long, but at the end of the day, there is zero evidence yet that we will be the perennial bridesmaids instead of the bride like we were through the majority of the 90s.

There isn’t? We’re an 8 seed that’s about to get hellaciously destroyed, without a true superstar to build around and our best player is about to turn 30 years old. I mean, this team isnt even close to being a bridesmaid right now, is it? And I’m not sure in the West where Jokic, Wemby and OKC are all in the prime, how this team would ever even sniff one of their jocks unless those teams had catastrophic injuries… like this year when the Nuggets didn’t have Gordon for 50 games and Joker for 20 and we still weren’t close to them.

 

[Cheesebeef]

Another way of phrasing that is, which teams could move out $60 million in salary without gutting their roster?

The Knicks are probably one. I’d have to look at the salary breakdowns of other teams to talk further about the subject.

 

[hcsilla]

That sounds eerily familiar. Oh yes, we were saying essentially the same exact thing about Ryan Dunn.

Fleming is bigger and a better shooter.

 

[Phrazbit]

There isn’t? We’re an 8 seed that’s about to get hellaciously destroyed, without a true superstar to build around and our best player is about to turn 30 years old. I mean, this team isnt even close to being a bridesmaid right now, is it? And I’m not sure in the West where Jokic, Wemby and OKC are all in the prime, how this team would ever even sniff one of their jocks unless those teams had catastrophic injuries… like this year when the Nuggets didn’t have Gordon for 50 games and Joker for 20 and we still weren’t close to them.

Well... yeah, the franchise rolled the dice on a losing bet with drastic long term consequences.

This is where they're at.

There is no easy fix, there is no even remotely realistic fix for many many years.

Do they risk even more on the hope that trading Booker lands them a star?

Or... do they try to right the ship?

If they get so stupid as to start shopping the 2032 pick then I will be right with every detractor.

 

[82CardsGrad]

The Knicks are probably one. I’d have to look at the salary breakdowns of other teams to talk further about the subject.

Knicks have nobody we should want and no picks to offer…

 

[BooksOrangePlanet]

 

[Chaplin]

There isn’t? We’re an 8 seed that’s about to get hellaciously destroyed, without a true superstar to build around and our best player is about to turn 30 years old. I mean, this team isnt even close to being a bridesmaid right now, is it? And I’m not sure in the West where Jokic, Wemby and OKC are all in the prime, how this team would ever even sniff one of their jocks unless those teams had catastrophic injuries… like this year when the Nuggets didn’t have Gordon for 50 games and Joker for 20 and we still weren’t close to them.

We're an 8 seed who was predicted to not even SNIFF the playoffs. I am frankly amazed that your expectations are this high. Especially someone as cynical as you.

 

[Chaplin]

Fleming is bigger and a better shooter.

lol ok

You guys are setting yourselves up to be heavily disappointed. I like his possible trajectory, but it's not a given. And some people here are anointing him as a star in the next few years.

 

[SirStefan32]

lol ok

You guys are setting yourselves up to be heavily disappointed. I like his possible trajectory, but it's not a given. And some people here are anointing him as a star in the next few years.

Well, nothing is ever a given, but the kid can flat out defend, and his three-point shot is looking pretty nice. He also has great size and athleticism. I think it's pretty reasonable to be high on him.

I'd even argue that we shouldn't write Dunn off either. He looked significantly better in the second half of the season.

 

[Hoop Head]

I get the hype for Fleming much more than Dunn, who was anointed as a star after a couple of preseason games last year. I think more of guys who need to slow down, Fleming, than guys who need to speed it up, Dunn.

I'll be surprised if Fleming isn't firmly in the rotation by the halfway point next year.

 

[Cheesebeef]

We're an 8 seed who was predicted to not even SNIFF the playoffs. I am frankly amazed that your expectations are this high. Especially someone as cynical as you.

who says my expectations are high? I think this team's ceiling is 7-10 play-in purgatory from herein for a while, although I do think there could be some room for growth if the two rookies really come on strong. But that could be offset by Booker continuing to plateau/go slightly downhill and not really having Mark Williams or possibly Grayson Allen moving forward.

 

[Cheesebeef]

Well, nothing is ever a given, but the kid can flat out defend, and his three-point shot is looking pretty nice. He also has great size and athleticism. I think it's pretty reasonable to be high on him.

I'd even argue that we shouldn't write Dunn off either. He looked significantly better in the second half of the season.

you have to REALLY be looking for positives to consider anything Dunn did to be "significantly better" at any point this season.

 

[taz02]

who says my expectations are high? I think this team's ceiling is 7-10 play-in purgatory from herein for a while, although I do think there could be some room for growth if the two rookies really come on strong. But that could be offset by Booker continuing to plateau/go slightly downhill and not really having Mark Williams or possibly Grayson Allen moving forward.

Before this season most thought 35 wins would be the ceiling. This team made surprising progress, it's certainly not out of the question they improve next season. Did you think their ceiling was the 7 seed before this season?

 

[BooksOrangePlanet]

Before this season most thought 35 wins would be the ceiling. This team made surprising progress, it's certainly not out of the question they improve next season. Did you think their ceiling was the 7 seed before this season?

Post in thread 'Will Suns win more games this year than last' https://www.arizonasportsfans.com/f...games-this-year-than-last.822681/post-5918640

 

[Cheesebeef]

Before this season most thought 35 wins would be the ceiling. This team made surprising progress, it's certainly not out of the question they improve next season. Did you think their ceiling was the 7 seed before this season?

oh no, I thought they'd be terrible, and note I did say there is room for growth as well. I just think they'll be hard-pressed to match some of the things that happened this year, like Dillan Brooks somehow becoming a 20 peg scorer for the first time in his career, or Mark Williams actually being healthy the first 60 games of the season. And those were major factors in our team's early success that staked us to that 7 seed around the 50 game mark and then just plateau'd or dipped a bit once those things went by the wayside.

but again, maybe the two rooks take major steps forward to buttress whatever we don't get from those major impact makers early this season. But even at that, I'd be surprised to see us break into the top 5.

 

[Yuma]

yeah because nobody wants a team first top 10 scorer who's also top 20 in assists per game this season - because those just grow on trees - technically still in his 20s - truth is teams would be lining up - the money would be zero issue - it would be all the players/picks other teams would have to trade - that would be the hang up

this whole acting like these imaginary first round draft picks are going to be better than devin booker is hilarious - we had the top pick in the draft and how did that work out

devin booker isn't overpaid lol - any team with cap space would gladly pay him - book might be under appreciated and undervalued by a select group of geniuses but the real world knows exactly who book is

I listened to a podcast with a Portland media person on it. They talked about how people were disappointed in Phoenix with Booker having a "down" year. The Portland guys said, we'll take him off your hands.