The Phoenix Suns are touted as one of the biggest contenders for the 2023-24 NBA championship. With Devin Booker, Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal leading the line, the Suns are in a win-now strategy.
After losing in the 2021 Finals and consistently having a great regular season but an underwhelming postseason, the Phoenix Suns have pushed their chips into their new superstar trio. Suns only have one player left from their 2021 NBA Finals run in Devin Booker and are undergoing a complete overhaul. The 2023-24 Suns look completely different from their 2022-23 roster and adding rookies and building future picks is not a pressing strategy.
After head coach Monty Williams departed last season, the Suns have appointed 49-year-old Frank Vogel as the team’s new head coach. Vogel is a defensive specialist who led the Lakers to the NBA title in 2020. The Suns have been criticized for their lack of defense in the playoffs in recent seasons, and Vogel will be looking to address that in the first season in Phoenix.
Phoenix Suns 2023 Draft Pick
Toumani Camara
The Suns drafted Toumani Camara with their only pick of the draft. At 6 feet 7 inches with a 7 foot wingspan, Camara averaged 13.9 points and 8.6 rebounds per game for Dayton in the 2022/23 college season. Camara was named on the All-Atlantic 10 First Team in 2023 and is an athletic wing. The 23-year-old Belgian spent two seasons at Georgia before transferring to Dayton ahead of the 2021-2022 season.
Camara has signed a rookie contract worth $7,639,302, including $1,119,563 guaranteed, and an annual average salary of $1,909,826. The current Phoenix roster has a number of new faces, including Bradley Beal, Jusuf Nurkic, Grayson Allen, Nassir Little, Eric Gordon and Yuta Watanabe. Meanwhile, they have lost out on key players Chris Paul, Landry Shamet, Cam Payne and DeAndre Ayton.
Phoenix Rookie Trade 2023
Suns brought in multiple experienced players via three-team trades and gave up their only rookie signing of the year, Toumani Camara. Camara was picked by the Phoenix Suns with the 52nd pick in the second round of the NBA Draft. However, he was part of a multi-team trade that saw him depart from Phoenix to Portland.
The blockbuster trade sent a 2029 first-round pick and the right to first-round pick swaps in 2028 and 2030 from Milwaukee to Portland, Damian Lillard to the Bucks and Keon Johnson, Nassir Little and Jusuf Nurkic to Phoenix. The Suns added much-needed depth and furthered their title odds this season, even if it meant losing out on a young rookie.
FAQs
A. The Phoenix Suns play home games at the Footprint Center.
A. The Phoenix Suns have not won an NBA championship yet.
A. The Phoenix Suns were founded in 1968.
