A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | CH | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9
| 2023–24 Phoenix Suns season | |
|---|---|
| Head coach | Frank Vogel |
| General manager | James Jones |
| Owners | Mat Ishbia & Justin Ishbia |
| Arena | Footprint Center |
| Results | |
| Record | 49–33 (.598) |
| Place | Division: 2nd (Pacific) Conference: 6th (Western) |
| Playoff finish | First Round (lost to Timberwolves 0–4) |
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com | |
| Local media | |
| Television | KTVK KPHE-LD KAZF[1] KAZS[1] KOLD-TV Kiswe (Suns Live) |
| Radio | KTAR |
The 2023–24 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 1971–72 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 2018–19 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 with the Los Angeles Lakers[6]) over finalists Doc Rivers (who won the NBA Finals in 2008 with the Boston Celtics) 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 (with at least one of them not conveying properly), 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 MVP Kevin 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 Nurkić, 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 2014–15 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 4–6 record and ending 2023 at 17–15, the Suns would still manage to obtain their fourth straight winning season in a row following a 131–106 blowout win over the San Antonio Spurs on March 23, 2024. They would then match last season's win total with a 122–101 blowout win over the Cleveland Cavaliers at home on April 3 and surpass it two days later with a 97–87 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 125–106 blowout win over the Timberwolves and a 124–108 Los Angeles Lakers win over the New Orleans Pelicans, with the Suns holding the series victory over the Pelicans 2–1 this season. Despite sweeping Minnesota in the regular season, the Suns were swept in the first round by the Timberwolves (who fell to the #3 seed in part by the Suns' hands at the end of the regular season) in four games, losing each game by an average margin of 15 points. This not only was the first time since 2008 that the Suns were exited out of the first round, but it was also the first time they were swept in a playoff series in general since 1999. It also was Vogel's only season in his original five-year, $31 million deal that he served with the team, as he was eventually fired from his position on May 9, 2024 following their disappointing playoff appearance.
Draft
| Round | Pick | Player | Position(s) | Nationality | College / Club |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 52 | Toumani Camara | Power Forward |  Belgium
|
Dayton |
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]
Roster
| Players | Coaches | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Roster |
Standings
Division
| Pacific Division | W | L | PCT | GB | Home | Road | Div | GP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| y – Los Angeles Clippers | 51 | 31 | .622 | – | 25–16 | 26–15 | 9–7 | 82 |
| x – Phoenix Suns | 49 | 33 | .598 | 2.0 | 25–16 | 24–17 | 9–9 | 82 |
| x – Los Angeles Lakers | 47 | 35 | .573 | 4.0 | 28–14 | 19–21 | 7–10 | 82 |
| pi – Sacramento Kings | 46 | 36 | .561 | 5.0 | 24–17 | 22–19 | 10–7 | 82 |
| pi – Golden State Warriors | 46 | 36 | .561 | 5.0 | 21–20 | 25–16 | 7–9 | 82 |
Conference
| Western Conference | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | Team | W | L | PCT | GB | GP |
| 1 | c – Oklahoma City Thunder * | 57 | 25 | .695 | – | 82 |
| 2 | x – Denver Nuggets | 57 | 25 | .695 | – | 82 |
| 3 | x – Minnesota Timberwolves | 56 | 26 | .683 | 1.0 | 82 |
| 4 | y – Los Angeles Clippers * | 51 | 31 | .622 | 6.0 | 82 |
| 5 | y – Dallas Mavericks * | 50 | 32 | .610 | 7.0 | 82 |
| 6 | x – Phoenix Suns | 49 | 33 | .598 | 8.0 | 82 |
| 7 | x – New Orleans Pelicans | 49 | 33 | .598 | 8.0 | 82 |
| 8 | x – Los Angeles Lakers | 47 | 35 | .573 | 10.0 | 82 |
| 9 | pi – Sacramento Kings | 46 | 36 | .561 | 11.0 | 82 |
| 10 | pi – Golden State Warriors | 46 | 36 | .561 | 11.0 | 82 |
| 11 | Houston Rockets | 41 | 41 | .500 | 16.0 | 82 |
| 12 | Utah Jazz | 31 | 51 | .378 | 26.0 | 82 |
| 13 | Memphis Grizzlies | 27 | 55 | .329 | 30.0 | 82 |
| 14 | San Antonio Spurs | 22 | 60 | .268 | 35.0 | 82 |
| 15 | Portland Trail Blazers | 21 | 61 | .256 | 36.0 | 82 |
Game log
Preseason
| 2023 preseason game log Total: 4–1 (Home: 1–1; Road: 3–0) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Preseason: 4–1 (home: 1–1; road: 3–0)
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