The Suns’ roster looks significantly different compared to last Opening Day

Where are the role players from a season ago now? All over the world…

We stand on the edge of a new season, with the Phoenix Suns set to tip off Wednesday in Los Angeles against the Clippers. It’s been a year since we last felt this familiar surge of excitement, and what a difference a year can make.

Entering last season, our hopes were high. The moves James Jones made during the summer of 2023 appeared sound. He brought in young, athletic, high-upside talent to bolster a team with one of the league’s highest payrolls. It seemed like a smart approach.

We believed that a few of those players would emerge and provide the necessary support for the Big Three of Devin Booker, Kevin Durant, and Bradley Beal. Though the team lacked a traditional point guard, we understood it would be an experiment, and we hoped it would succeed.

It didn’t.

The role players struggled, prompting James Jones to hit the reset button at the trade deadline. Despite the changes, the season ended in disappointment, as the Suns were swept out of the playoffs by the Minnesota Timberwolves after finishing with a 49-33 record.

Looking back at the roster, it’s hard not to feel foolish. These were the players we thought would elevate the Suns to the next level? It brings to mind the conversations we had before last season, when we looked back at the 2022-23 roster that fell to the Denver Nuggets in the second round and saw that several players from that team were still unsigned.

In case you need a reminder, here’s a look at the players the Suns started the 2023-24 season with, their performances during the season, and where they are now.

Udoka Azuibike

16 GP, 2.2 points, 2.0 rebounds

The big man from Kansas signed a two-way deal with the Suns in August of 2023. He is currently an unrestricted free agent. He recently signed with Budućnost VOLI of the Prva A Liga, which is the top league in Montenegro.

Keita Bates-Diop

39 GP, 4.5 points, 2.6 rebounds, 31.3 3PT%

We had high expectations for KBD. He was destined to be the guy to take the next step, to benefit from the gravity of the Big Three. He was gun shy, however, and was traded to the Brooklyn Nets in February. He has been traded twice since then, going from the Nets to the New York Knicks along with Mikal Bridges, and then again to the Minnesota Timberwolves as a part of the Karl-Anthony Towns trade.

Unfortunately for Bates-Diop, it appears that his days in Minny may be numbered, as the team may soon cut him.

Drew Eubanks

75 GP, 5.1 points, 4.3 rebounds

Big. Solid. Manly. Drew Eubanks had what appeared to be the physical deliverables to be the ideal backup to Jusuf Nurkic. As one of the first free agent signings by the Suns, Eubanks aimed to provide productive backup big minutes, but instead, he was socked by Isaiah Stewart and had a team-worst -106 +/- on the team.

Drew left in free agency and is now up in Utah and is the third-string center behind JOhn Collins and Walker Kessler, per ESPN’s depth chart.

Jordan Goodwin

40 GP, 5.0 points, 4.5 assists, 1.5 steals, 1.6 turnovers

There was plenty of hype surrounding Jordan Goodwin when he arrived alongside Bradley Beal in the trade that sent Landry Shamet and Chris Paul to Washington. Known for his reputation as a lockdown defender, his connection to Beal ran deep—both hailing from St. Louis and playing on Beal’s AAU team.

However, Goodwin struggled to find consistency. Despite his defensive prowess, he couldn’t provide the playmaking the Suns desperately needed. He struggled from deep, hitting 28.8% of his threes. The team traded him to the Memphis Grizzlies.

Goodwin entered training camp this year with the Los Angeles Lakers, but he was cut.

Eric Gordon

68 GP, 11.0 points, 2.0 assists, 1.8 rebounds, 37.8 3PT%

When the Suns signed Eric Gordon, it felt like the final piece of the puzzle had fallen into place. We were ready to wrap up the Larry O’Brien trophy, put it in bubble wrap, and wait for June. Gordon was seen as the missing element—much like the buzz around Tyus Jones this season—who would provide the bench shooting to make the Suns’ offense unstoppable.

Do you know who stopped us from scoring? Gordon. Sure, he was great when he started in 24 games. But his splits were killer when we needed him to perform in his bench role. 15.4 points and 45.1% from deep as a starter, 8.6 points and 32.6% from three as a reserve.

And he simply never seemed happy here.

Gordon is now with the Philadelphia 76ers, and if he didn’t enjoy his time in Phoenix, he’s in for a rough ride in Philly, especially if his performance mirrors what we saw here.

Saben Lee

24 GP, 3.0 points, 1.3 assists, 12.5 3PT%

Yes, Saben Lee was actually getting minutes for the Suns last season. No disrespect to him, but if he’s playing significant minutes, it raises questions about your championship aspirations. He struggled with his shooting, especially from three, and though he was great at attacking the rim, his lack of playmaking, much like Goodwin’s, proved to be a setback for the team.

Where is he now? Lee signed a two-year contract to play with Maccabi Tel Aviv of the Israeli Basketball Premier League.

45 GP, 3.4 points, 1.7 rebounds, 30.0 3PT%

High upside, low return. Nassir Little embodied exactly what James Jones aimed to bring in last year. There were stretches where we thought he could be the guy, but ultimately, his season played out just as expected: talented, yet injury-prone, much like his reputation from Portland.

The Suns tried to move him in the offseason, but with three years and $20.3 million left on his contract, it wasn’t an easy sell. They eventually waived him, and while the Miami Heat took a chance, he was recently waived again, making him an unrestricted free agent.

Chimezie Metu

37 GP, 5.0 points, 3.0 rebounds, 29.4 3PT%

Like Bates-Diop, Metu seemed poised for regular rotation minutes. A big/wing player who could stretch the floor, he occupied a somewhat ambiguous role. Not big enough to battle in the post but not an effective enough shooter to command respect from defenses. When hustle on the defensive end becomes a concern, it often means your days on the roster are numbered.

Metu was traded to the Grizzlies, where he was waived at the trade deadline. He concluded last season with the Detroit Pistons, showcasing glimpses of his potential amid a rebuilding team. This past summer, he signed with FC Barcelona, seeking a fresh start in Europe.

Yuta Watanabe

29 GP, 3.6 points, 1.6 rebounds, 32.0 3PT%

Was Yuta the biggest disappointment of them all? We were ecstatic when he signed with Phoenix, convinced that the sharpshooting three-point specialist, who had played alongside KD in Brooklyn, was a steal in every sense. His ability to stretch the floor promised to be game-changing for the Suns, adding much-needed space for our star players to operate.

However, he ultimately fell short of those expectations. His shooting was far less effective on offense, failing to find his rhythm and missing crucial opportunities. Defensively, he often appeared more lost than I did in 1996 without a Rand McNally map, struggling to keep up with assignments and make an impact.

Phoenix traded him to the Grizzlies, where he played only 5 games last season. He opted to decline his player option this summer and returned to his home country of Japan, where he plays for Chiba Jets Funabashi of the B.League.

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There were others who played roles in the depth rotation, such as Damion Lee, who suffered a meniscus injury, along with Josh Okogie and Bol Bol. However, for the most part, the team’s composition is a long story of unsuccessful swings in pursuit of depth and talent.

Looking back at who filled out the roster from a season ago is truly shocking. Considering the players we had and where they are now, it’s hard not to wonder how we could have been so off in our assessments. How could our excitement have been fueled by unproven talent in such a way?

Hindsight is always 20/20, and the lessons learned from last season’s struggles have brought us to this moment. The roster is markedly different now. Gone are the young, athletic minimum contract players hoping to make an impact and secure larger deals in the future. In their place are seasoned veterans and role players with specific, proven skill sets.

Once again, we find ourselves filled with excitement. However, this serves as a cautionary tale. Where will we be this time next year? Who on the current roster might be playing overseas at the start of the season? We hope that the combination James Jones has assembled is the right formula for success and a championship run.

So, as we enter this season brimming with enthusiasm, we must remain cautiously optimistic. History tells us that, while we believe that this roster has addressed the majority of its deficiencies, it comes down to how the players perform on the court. Not on paper.