Suns Reacts Survey: Who’s the starting point guard? What’s the biggest need?

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Here we are in yet another ‘most important offseason in Suns history’ for the 55th summer in a row. The Phoenix Suns could be changing over the entire roster around Devin Booker and Kevin Durant, two All-NBA talents in their primes but on the opposite ends of it.

Booker’s age-27 season will coincide with Durant’s age-35 season and hopefully they will be healthy enough to be in consideration for All-NBA, All-Defense and Most Valuable Player again. The new Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) goes into effect this next season with a requirement to play 65+ games for those awards.

Booker is a three-time All-Star and one-time All-NBA (first team in 2022), but only played 53 of 82 games this past season. If he’d even played 60, he probably would have made All-NBA again since he put up a career-high in scoring (27.8) and field goal percentage (49.4%). There was no ‘minimum games’ rule this past season, but voters have generally required 60+ games in the past.

Durant, a 13-time All-Star and 10-time All-NBA, only played 47 of 82 games this past season and was even further from consideration for awards. Like Booker, if he’d played enough games he likely would have made All-NBA.

I know awards don’t mean anything when it comes to playoffs, but health does matter. Durant, a midseason acquisition, and Booker had only played 8 games together before the playoffs started and were great together but not good enough to overcome the buzzsaw of the eventual champ Nuggets.

Next season, a much better outcome would be to see Book and KD play 70+ games together and enter the playoffs on a high note.

But who will be around them in the lineup? Not one other player on the Suns current roster is a sure thing to be wearing Suns colors on opening night in October.

Let’s do a quick review of the roster around Book and KD:

Point Guard

• Chris Paul: starter, injury prone, old (38), declining, partially guaranteed $30.8 million, releasing him by 6/28 would save the Suns $15 million and open up their ability to use at least the taxpayer midlevel exception
• Cam Payne: backup, inconsistent, partially guaranteed $6 million, releasing him by 6/29 would save the Suns $4 million

Shooting guard/wing

• Landry Shamet: backup, consistent under-performer, has one more guaranteed year worth $10.5 million, with 2 team options after that (could be waived/stretched for over 7 seasons)
• Ish Wainright: backup, non-guaranteed veteran’s minimum
• Torrey Craig: backup, unrestricted free agent (Bird Rights)
• Darius Bazley: deep bench but still just 25, restricted free agent
• Damion Lee: backup, unrestricted free agent (no Bird Rights)
• Josh Okogie: backup, unrestricted free agent (no Bird Rights)
• Terrence Ross: backup, unrestricted free agent (no Bird Rights)
• T.J. Warren: backup, unrestricted free agent (no Bird Rights)

Big/Center

• Deandre Ayton: starter, underperforming, but still pre-prime at age 24, has 3 years guaranteed for $100 million
• Jock Landale: backup, restricted free agent (early Bird Rights)
• Bismack Biyombo: backup, unrestricted free agent (early Bird Rights)

Like I said, a lot of question marks once you get past Book and KD. Lots of changes could be coming.

Cast your votes on where the Suns will stand when free agency opens.