While the NBA Playoffs are in full swing, now is a good time to recap the fantasy basketball season for all 30 teams.
In the following weeks, we will provide a recap for each team, starting with the team with the worst record and concluding with the NBA champion in June.
Even if the weaknesses for the Suns were glaring from that start, the hope was that they had enough star power to make up for it. It crashed and burned, and now they enter the offseason with multiple stars and not much hope.
Phoenix Suns 2024-25 Season Recap
Record: 36-46 (11th, West)
Offensive Rating: 114.7 (13th)
Defensive Rating: 117.7 (27th)
Net Rating: -3.0 (23rd)
Pace: 98.31 (21st)
2024 Draft Picks: 29, 52
A team built around Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal sounds difficult to slow down in theory, but in practice, it was a red-hot mess. They hired Mike Budenholzer to take over as the head coach last summer, but just like Frank Vogel, Bud was only given one season before Matt Ishbia decided to move on. Next season, Phoenix will have their fourth head coach in four seasons.
Booker and Durant and successful individual seasons, and Beal was decent when he was available. However, they missed the playoffs for the first time in four seasons, and they don’t even have their own draft pick to regain some hope for the future. In fact, they won’t have control of their own first-round pick until 2032. Ishbia went all in on building this team like a video game GM would, or like a dynasty manager that joins a league and trades all of their picks to win just to leave after two seasons. The difference here is that Ishbia didn’t get any rings, and he now has to make moves to drag this team out of the mud. They’re not entirely out of options, but there will likely be some major changes this offseason.
Fantasy Standout: Devin Booker
Booker’s points per game and field goal percentage took slight hits this season, which dropped his overall value. However, he set a new career high for assists per game and still provided third-round value in nine-cat leagues. He also played 75 games, which was his highest total since he played 78 games during the 2016-17 season, his second in the league. Booker will continue to be a superstar, and even with all the uncertainty in Phoenix, there isn’t much that will change that. He averaged 25.6 points, 4.1 rebounds, 7.1 assists and 2.4 triples in 37.3 minutes per game this season.
His field goal percentage dropped from 49.2 percent during the 2023-24 season to 46.1 percent this year. It wasn’t a significant drop, but it bumped him down about a round of value in nine-cat leagues. However, there shouldn't be any concern for Booker moving forward. He is the face of the franchise. Regardless of what other moves they make, there won’t be any that can take the ball out of his hands. Booker will continue to be a fantasy stud moving forward.
Fantasy Revelation: Ryan Dunn
Though his rookie season was inconsistent, Dunn was one of the few glimmers of hope for the future in Phoenix. Drafted as a defensive stalwart, Dunn quickly showcased an improved jumpshot, which was his biggest weakness entering the draft. He averaged 6.9 points, 3.6 rebounds and 1.1 threes in 19.1 minutes per game across 74 appearances.
In his sophomore season at Virginia, Dunn averaged 8.1 points, 6.9 rebounds, 1.3 steals and 2.3 blocks per game. Surprisingly, the defensive production didn’t translate during his first season in the NBA, but we shouldn’t lose hope. Dunn was in and out of the starting unit throughout the season, but he was a consistent starter for the final month. During those 16 games, he averaged 11.1 points, 5.7 rebounds, 1.4 steals and 1.9 threes per game. The percentages were poor, but if he’s given the opportunity, Dunn has the tools to be a true stud in category leagues. The Suns will continue to try and build a winner around Booker, and Dunn fits in well as a two-way forward that doesn’t need the ball in his hands often.
Fantasy Disappointment: Bradley Beal
For both Beal and the Suns, this was a year to forget. Across 53 appearances, Beal averaged 17.0 points, 3.3 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 1.1 steals and 1.9 triples per game. His points were the fewest he has averaged in a season since the 2014-15 season. He fell short of his Yahoo ADP of 71.8, though not by much over the course of the year. What made this season so disappointing was that there were still flashes. He scored at least 25 points in 12 games, but he also had nine games where he scored less than 10 points.
Beal’s days of averaging 30 points per game are behind him, and he seems content with the no-trade clause in his contract that will pay him nearly $54 million next season. He played well down the stretch of the 2023-24 season, so there was hope that he could carry that success into this past season. That didn’t happen, and unless Beal changes his mind, he’ll be back with Phoenix next season. If they trade Kevin Durant this summer, Beal could take on a larger role next season, depending on what the Suns get in return. However, it’s difficult to imagine Beal returning to All-Star form.
Fantasy Recaps/Look-Aheads
Kevin Durant
KD put together another strong season, with averages of 26.6 points, 6.0 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.2 blocks and 2.6 triples per game in 62 appearances. He wasn’t able to match his 75 games played from the previous season, but it was still more than he had played in any other season since he suited up 78 times in his final season with the Warriors.
Durant will be 37 at the start of next season. Though he may not be desperate for a ring, it’s difficult to imagine him not wanting to be in the playoffs next season. Phoenix has talent, but they likely won’t be able to build a contending team next year. It seems likely that Durant will be playing elsewhere, and there should be plenty of suitors in the bidding war. No team will make a deal for Durant with the intention to make him sacrifice his touches; KD will be brought in to be KD. Health is a question mark, given his age and injury history over the past half-decade. However, there aren’t many players more productive than Durant when he is on the floor.
Tyus Jones
Brought in to be the starting point guard for the Suns, Jones posted some decent numbers, but he wasn’t effective enough in the role to benefit the team. He averaged 10.2 points, 2.4 rebounds, 5.3 assists and two triples in 26.8 minutes per game. His numbers dropped across the board after enjoying the best season of his career last year with the Wizards.
Simply put, Jones is productive when he’s on the floor, but Phoenix felt that the team was better when Jones wasn’t starting. They went 27-31 with him as a starter, but he was mostly in a reserve role after the All-Star break. He averaged 8.6 points and 3.5 assists in 19.8 minutes per game in 23 bench appearances. The hope here is that his next coach will feel better about having Jones in the starting unit, whether that’s with the Suns or a different team.
Grayson Allen
Despite his success the previous season, Allen wasn’t given the same opportunity under new head coach Mike Budenholzer. He played just 24.1 minutes per game and averaged 10.6 points, three rebounds, 2.1 assists and 2.3 threes per game. He was excellent during his seven starts, but he simply didn’t get enough of an opportunity to repeat his incredible 2023-24 season.
Allen averaged 15.6 points, 4.1 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 3.7 threes in 30.2 minutes per game as a starter. If the next head coach decides to make him a starter, Allen will be an appealing option in the later rounds of drafts. However, due to the uncertainty of this roster, that may not be made clear until closer to opening night.
Nick Richards
Phoenix acquired Richards at the trade deadline to be the starting center after Jusuf Nurkic didn’t work out. During 36 games with the Suns, Richards averaged 9.5 points, 8.6 rebounds and 0.8 blocks in 22.7 minutes per game. He had some big games, but he was largely a disappointing band-aid down low.
Richards had some success as a starter when Mark Williams was injured with the Hornets, but that didn’t translate to Phoenix. As of now, he should enter next season as the starting center for the Suns, though it wouldn’t be surprising if they found a better option to fill that role. If he makes it through the offseason with nobody taking his job, Richards will have some late-round appeal next year.
Cody Martin
Martin was part of the Richards/Nurkic swap, but he didn’t end up suiting up for the Suns until mid-March. He only made 14 appearances for them and averaged 3.7 points, 3.4 rebounds and 1.1 assists in 14.7 minutes per game. He played a total of 35 games across the previous two seasons but was healthy prior to being traded to Phoenix. He had some productive stretches with Charlotte this season, but he never got the opportunity with the Suns. A healthy offseason should give him a better chance to be a legit rotation piece for Phoenix next season.
Collin Gillespie
After starting off the season at the end of the bench, Gillespie ended up playing a significant role over the final month of the season. Over the final 15 games of the year, Gillespie played 22.7 minutes per game and averaged 8.9 points, 3.9 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 1.1 steals and two threes per game. He’s set to be a restricted free agent after playing on a two-way contract this year. He did enough to likely earn a standard contract, but regardless of where he plays next season, he may not play as many minutes as he did down the stretch of this year.
Royce O’Neale
O’Neale was a part-time starter for Phoenix and had some strong stretches as a role player. He fit well with the stars and provided some optimism at times. In 24.5 minutes per game, he averaged 9.1 points, 4.7 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 2.4 threes per game. There were games where he would play a significant role and pour in the three-pointers, and then there were games where he would play less than 15 minutes and contribute next to nothing. O’Neale will continue to be a solid veteran, but his impact in fantasy will continue to be a minimal one.
Bol Bol
Aside from a month-long stint from mid-February to mid-March, Bol was at the end of the bench for most of the season. He made 10 starts last season and averaged 12.5 points, 5.7 rebounds, 1.1 assists, 1.3 blocks and 1.7 threes per game. Bol still has plenty of upside, but the 25-year-old hasn’t found a consistent role since being drafted in the second round in 2019.
When teams have given him the chance, he’s had some incredible games. Entering unrestricted free agency, he’ll look for a situation where he can play more than he did in Phoenix. He certainly could return under a new head coach, but if he finds a team that wants to play him consistently, he has the skillset to be a strong contributor in category leagues.
Oso Ighodaro
Due to the Suns’ issues at center, Ighodaro ended up playing a significant role as a rookie despite being a second-round pick. Across 61 games, he averaged 4.2 points, 3.6 assists and 1.2 steals in 17.1 minutes per game. Ighodaro split time at center with Nick Richards and Mason Plumlee, with none of them producing consistently. With Plumlee entering free agency, Ighodaro could end up as the backup center behind Richards next season. That won’t be a large enough role for managers in one-year leagues to be excited, but it will make him worth keeping an eye on in dynasty formats.
Restricted Free Agents: Jalen Bridges, Collin Gillespie, TyTy Washington
Unrestricted Free Agents: Mason Plumlee, Tyus Jones, Damion Lee, Monte Morris, Bol Bol
Team Option: Vasilije Micic
