Phoenix Suns wikipedia
The Suns began play as an expansion team in 1968. The franchise owns the NBA's fourth-best all-time winning percentage, winning 55 percent of its games, as of the end of the 2012–2013 season. In forty-six years of play, they have made the playoffs 29 times, posted nineteen seasons of 50 or more wins, made nine trips to the Western Conference Finals, and advanced to the NBA Finals in 1976 and 1993. As a result, based on their all-time win-loss percentage, the Suns are the most winning franchise to have never won an NBA Championship. ContentsFranchise historyTeam creation Original Suns logo (1968-1992) After continual prodding by Bloch, the NBA Board of Governors finally decided that on January 22, 1968, Phoenix and Milwaukee would be granted franchises. They paid an entry fee of $2 million. The Suns nickname was among 28,000 entries that were formally chosen in a "Name the Team" contest sponsored by the Arizona Republic; the winner was awarded $1,000 and season tickets to the inaugural season. Suns was preferred over Scorpions, Rattlers, Thunderbirds, Wranglers, Mavericks, Tumbleweeds, Mustangs and Cougars. Stan Fabe, who owned a commercial printing plant in Tucson, designed the team's first iconic logo for a mere $200; this was after the team paid $5,000 to a local artist to design the team's logo, but were disappointed with the results. In the 1968 NBA Expansion Draft, notable Suns' pick-ups were future Hall of Famers Gail Goodrich and Dick Van Arsdale. 1968–1976: Early yearsJerry Colangelo, a then-player scout, came over from the Chicago Bulls (a franchise formed two years earlier) as the Suns' first general manager at the age of 28, along with Johnny "Red" Kerr as head coach. Unlike the first-year success that Colangelo and Kerr had in Chicago, in which the Bulls finished with a first-year expansion record of 33 wins and a playoff berth (plus a Coach of the Year award for Kerr), Phoenix finished its first year at 16–66, and finished 25 games out of the final playoff spot.Both Goodrich and Van Arsdale were selected to the All-Star Game in their first season with the freshly minted Suns. Goodrich would return to his former team, the Lakers, after two seasons with the Suns, but Van Arsdale would spend the rest of his playing days as a Sun and even become a one-time head coach for Phoenix. The Suns' last-place finish that season led to a coin flip for the number-one overall pick for the 1969 NBA Draft with the expansion-mate Bucks. Milwaukee won the flip, and the rights to draft UCLA center Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (then known as Lew Alcindor), while Phoenix settled on drafting center Neal Walk from the University of Florida. While the Bucks went on to win the NBA Finals in 1971 and reach the Finals again in 1974, the Suns would not go to the Finals until 1976. The 1969–70 season posted better results for the Suns, finishing 39–43, but losing to the eventual Western Conference champion Los Angeles Lakers in the first round of the playoffs. The next two seasons (1970–71 and 1971–72), the Suns finished with 48- and 49-win seasons, however they did not qualify for the playoffs in either year, and would not reach the playoffs again until 1976. 1975–1976: Trip to the Finals The 1975–76 season proved to be a pivotal year for the Suns, as they made several key moves, including the offseason trade of former All-Star guard Charlie Scott to the Boston Celtics, in exchange for guard Paul Westphal, a member of Boston's 1974 championship team. They also drafted center and eventual fan favorite Alvan Adams from the University of Oklahoma and guard Ricky Sobers of UNLV. The Suns and Buffalo Braves made a midseason trade, with Phoenix sending forward/center John Shumate to Buffalo in exchange for forward Gar Heard. Phoenix had an "up-and-down" regular season, starting out at 14–9 (then the best start in team history), then went 4–18 during a stretch of which the team went through injuries (including "Original Sun" Dick Van Arsdale breaking his right arm in a February game), but they caught fire, going 24–13 in the final 37 games to finish 42–40, clinching their first playoff spot since 1970. The Suns faced the SuperSonics in the first round of the Western Conference playoffs, winning the series four games to two, and beat the defending NBA champion Golden State Warriors in the Western Conference Finals, four games to three, to advance to their first-ever Finals. The Suns faced a battle-tested Celtics team, led by eventual Hall of Famers Dave Cowens and John Havlicek. The crucial Game 5 of the 1976 NBA Finals took place at Boston Garden, where the Suns came back from a 22-point first-half deficit to force overtime. Havlicek made what was supposed to be a game-winning basket, but due to fans rushing the floor before time officially expired, officials put one second back on the clock with Phoenix having possession of the ball, but under their own basket. Instead of attempting a desperation heave, the Suns' Westphal intentionally called a timeout that they did not have, which was a technical foul, giving the Celtics a free throw, which Jo Jo White converted to put them up 112–110. However, this advanced the ball to half-court, and once the Suns had possession, Garfield Heard made a buzzer-beating turnaround jump shot to force a third overtime. However, the Suns' hard-fought battle would be short-lived, as Boston's little-used reserve player Glenn McDonald scored six of his eight points in the third overtime to lead the Celtics to a 128–126 win. Boston eventually won the series in six games, clinching the championship at the Coliseum, defeating Phoenix in game six, 87–80. 1976–1988: From success to scandalsIn the late 1970s and early 1980s, the Suns enjoyed several successful seasons, making the playoffs 8 seasons in a row. Problems arose however, on and off court, in the mid-1980s. In 1987 the Maricopa County Attorney's Office indicted 13 people on drug-related charges, three of whom were active Suns players (James Edwards, Jay Humphries and Grant Gondrezick). These indictments were partially based on testimony from star player Walter Davis, who was given immunity. No defendants ever went to trial: two of the players went into a prosecution diversion program, while another received probation. Nevertheless, the scandal, although now perceived in many respects to be a witchhunt, tarnished the reputation of the franchise both nationally and within the community. The scandal did provide an opening for general manager Jerry Colangelo to lead a group that bought the team from its owners for $44 million, a record at that time. With a drug scandal and the loss of promising young center Nick Vanos, who was killed in the crash of Northwest Airlines Flight 255, the franchise was in turmoil both on and off the court.1988–1992: The Kevin Johnson eraThe Suns' luck began to turn around in 1988, however, with the acquisition of Kevin Johnson from the Cleveland Cavaliers, along with Mark West and Tyrone Corbin for popular All-Star power forward Larry Nance. This was the beginning of a franchise-record 13 consecutive playoff appearances. All-Star Tom Chambers came over from the Seattle SuperSonics (the first unrestricted free agent in NBA history), 1986 second round draft pick Jeff Hornacek continued to develop, and "Thunder" Dan Majerle was drafted with the 14th pick in the 1988 draft, (obtained via the trade involving Kevin Johnson). Kurt Rambis was added from the Charlotte Hornets in 1989, and the team (coached by Fitzsimmons), in an upset, beat the Los Angeles Lakers in five games that season, before falling to the Portland Trail Blazers in the Western Conference Finals. In 1991, the Suns went 55–27, however lost in the first round to the Utah Jazz, 3–1. In 1992, the Suns went 53–29. Having sent four players to the All-Star Game in the last two seasons (Chambers, Johnson, Hornacek and Majerle), the Suns were poised to make a serious run at the NBA Finals. They started by sweeping the San Antonio Spurs in three games in the first round of the 1992 NBA Playoffs. But again, the Suns fell in five games to the Trail Blazers in the Conference Semifinals. The series was punctuated by an electrifying Game 4, in which the Suns lost in double overtime 153–151 (the highest scoring game in NBA Playoff history to-date). That game would end up being the last Suns game ever played at the Coliseum. The Suns were again denied a shot at a title, but it would not be long before the Suns enjoyed a degree of success they had not experienced for quite some time.1992–1996: Arrival of Charles Barkley and the streaking Suns "Streaking Suns" Logo (1992–2000) In addition to Barkley, the Suns added some key players to their roster including Danny Ainge and draft players in University of Arkansas center Oliver Miller and forward Richard Dumas (who was actually drafted in 1991 but was suspended for his rookie year for violating the NBA drug policy). Under rookie head coach Paul Westphal (a former Suns assistant and, as a player, member of the 1976 Suns squad that went to the NBA Finals), the Suns squad consisting mostly of Barkley, Majerle, Johnson and Ainge won 62 games, setting a franchise-record (since tied in 2004-05). In the first round of the playoffs, they defeated the eighth-seeded Lakers, coming back from an 0–2 deficit in the five game series. The Suns went on to eliminate the Spurs and Sonics, advancing to the Finals for the second time in franchise history. They eventually lost to the Chicago Bulls, led by eventual Hall of Famers Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen. The series included a triple-overtime game (Game 3) that along with Game 5 of the 1976 series are the only triple overtime games in the history of the NBA Finals. Approximately 300,000 fans braved the 105 degree heat to celebrate the memorable season in the streets of Phoenix. The Suns continued to be successful in the regular season, going 178–68 during the 1992–93, 1993–94, and 1994–95 seasons. They continued to bolster their roster adding players such as A. C. Green, Danny Manning, Wesley Person, Wayman Tisdale, and Elliot Perry. Despite a Pacific Division title in 1995, the Suns were eliminated in consecutive Western Conference Semifinal rounds by the Houston Rockets, both series going a full seven games. Manning was rarely at full strength with the Suns, injuring his ACL in 1995 just before the All-Star break. In both years the Suns led the series by two games at one point (2–0 in 1994, 3–1 in 1995) only to see the Rockets come back to win each series. At the end of the 1994–95 season, Phoenix general manager, Bryan Colangelo (son of Jerry) initiated what proved to be a very costly trade, sending the All-Star Majerle and a first round draft pick to the Cleveland Cavaliers in exchange for John "Hot Rod" Williams. Majerle was a fan favorite in Phoenix as well as the Suns locker room. The trade was made to address the Suns' desperate need of a shot blocking center, but proved frustrating as Majerle's presence was sorely missed, and Williams's production never met expectations. The 1995–96 season turned into a very disappointing year for the Suns (despite drafting All-Rookie First Team member Michael Finley, who was later unavailable for the playoffs due to injury) in which they posted a 41–41 record, and were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs by the San Antonio Spurs. Westphal was fired mid-way through the season and replaced by Fitzsimmons, the third stint as head coach for him. A combination of front office unrest, along with the dwindling possibility of winning a championship led to turmoil in Barkley's relationship with Jerry Colangelo who both spurned each other publicly. This led to Barkley being traded to Houston for Sam Cassell, Robert Horry, Mark Bryant, and Chucky Brown; the trade did not produce the results either team had hoped for. (The feud between Barkley and Colangelo has since been repaired, and Barkley has appeared at a number of Suns' home games in the years since.[citation needed] He was also present to see his number retired into the Suns "Ring Of Honor" in 2004.) As for the Suns, three of the four players were not with the franchise just one year later, and furthermore two of the most talented players (being Horry and Cassell) constantly clashed with the coach and seemed to be a negative influence in the locker room.[citation needed] In the 1996 NBA Draft, the Suns used their 15th pick for Santa Clara guard Steve Nash. Upon hearing the draft announcement, Suns fans booed in disapproval of the relatively unknown player, due to the fact that he had not played in one of the major college conferences. During his first two seasons in the NBA, he played a supporting role behind star point guards Jason Kidd and Kevin Johnson. With Kidd starting at the point, Nash was traded in June 1998, to the Mavericks in exchange for Martin Muursepp, Bubba Wells, the draft rights to Pat Garrity, and a future first-round draft pick (later used to select Shawn Marion). 1996–2004: Average timesAfter the Barkley trade, the Suns began the 1996–97 season 0–13 which was a franchise record for the worst start. During the 13-game losing streak Fitzsimmons stepped down as coach and was replaced by former player Danny Ainge.After an on-the-court altercation between Ainge and Horry, Horry was traded to the Lakers for former Sun and NBA all-star Cedric Ceballos. Cassell was later traded to Dallas for all-star guard Jason Kidd. With a mostly small lineup, the Suns put together an 11-game win streak that put them in the playoffs, in a series that almost upset the highly favored Sonics. Despite the loss in the playoffs, the Suns became one of the few NBA teams, if not the only, to make the playoffs after starting the season 0-10 or worse, and one of the few to make the playoffs after experiencing a 10+-game losing streak during the regular season (last until the 2002 Toronto Raptors.) In the off-season prior to the 2000 NBA season, the Suns traded for perennial All-Star Anfernee "Penny" Hardaway stirring a large amount of hype by creating the tandem of Kidd and Hardaway, which was called "Backcourt 2000".[citation needed] However, the combination of Hardaway and Kidd was never fully realized as Hardaway would miss a number of games during the middle of the 1999–2000 season and Kidd would break his ankle going into the playoffs just as Hardaway began his return to the court. As the Suns, now led by the returned Hardaway, entered the 2000 playoffs, they beat the higher seeded San Antonio Spurs by ousting them from the playoffs 3–1 in the best-of-five series. The Spurs were without their best player Tim Duncan throughout the whole series. However, even with the return of Kidd at Hardaway's side in the next round, the Suns fell to the eventual champion Los Angeles Lakers in a 4–1 series. The Suns continued to make the playoffs until the 2001–02 campaign, when they fell short for the first time in 14 years. That season marked the trade of Jason Kidd, partly due to a publicized domestic violence episode, to the New Jersey Nets for Stephon Marbury. Lottery-bound, however, the Suns were able to draft Amar'e Stoudemire. The 2002–03 campaign saw the emergence of Stoudemire, a graduate from Cypress Creek High School (Orlando, Florida). He became the first and only high school player to win the NBA Rookie of the Year in the 2002–03 season (until LeBron James did it the following season), during which the Suns posted a record of 44–38 and returned to the playoffs. Marbury had a stellar individual season, making the All-NBA Third Team and being selected for the 2003 NBA All-Star Game. The Suns were eliminated in the first round once again by the San Antonio Spurs; a six-game series with the eventual NBA champions. In the 2003–04 season, the Suns found themselves out of the playoffs. The Suns made a blockbuster mid-season trade sending Marbury and Hardaway to the New York Knicks for Antonio McDyess and a future first round pick, that was later dealt to Denver. 2004–2012: The Steve Nash era2004–2007: Division Champions An updated "Streaking Suns" logo (2000–2013).  A home game against the Sacramento Kings in the 2006–07 NBA season. In the 2005 NBA Playoffs, Phoenix was the first seed in the Western Conference. The Suns swept the Memphis Grizzlies 4–0 and defeated the fourth-seeded Dallas Mavericks in the second round 4–2, Nash forced Game 6 into OT with a 3-pointer in the closing seconds. In the Western Conference Finals, the Suns played the San Antonio Spurs who won the series 4–1, ending Phoenix's season, partly due to Joe Johnson missing the first two games of the series. Joe Johnson went on to start the remaining games where he averaged 40 minutes per game and 18.3 PPG. The Suns lost the first 2 at home, as well as the following game in San Antonio to fall behind 3–0 in the series, escaping with a win in Game 4 at San Antonio 111–106. The team then lost Game 5 at home 101–95 to be eliminated from the playoffs. Stoudemire averaged 37.0 ppg during the series against the Spurs, the highest ever by a player in their first Conference Finals. The 2005–06 NBA season began with Stoudemire undergoing microfracture surgery in his knee on October 18, 2005. He missed all but three games that year. Along with that, shooting guard Joe Johnson demanded a Sign and Trade deal to the Atlanta Hawks, in which the Suns got Boris Diaw along with two future first round picks. Other acquisitions that year included Raja Bell and Kurt Thomas. Despite the turnover in players, the Suns were once again able to win the Pacific going 54–28 and capturing the second seed in the Western Conference. Nash was awarded a second consecutive NBA Most Valuable Player Award, becoming the second point-guard (Magic Johnson was the first) to win the award in consecutive seasons. Also, Diaw was named NBA Most Improved Player. The Suns began the 2006 Western Conference Playoffs as favorites against the Los Angeles Lakers. After winning Game 1 in Phoenix, they found themselves trailing in the series 3–1 after impressive performances by Laker shooting guard Kobe Bryant. However, the Suns went on to win three straight games. They won Game 5 easily at home. With 7:33 left in the game, Suns guard Raja Bell grabbed Bryant around the neck and threw him down as the Lakers star drove to the basket. Bell earned a technical foul, his second of the game, and an automatic ejection. The Suns took game 6 in OT, their first OT win all season despite 50 points from Bryant and Bell out serving a one-game suspension (for a flagrant foul against Bryant in Game 5) with last second help from mid-season acquisition Tim Thomas. On their home court, the Suns won Game 7 121–90, eliminating the Lakers for the first time since 1993. The Suns became only the eighth team in NBA history to win a playoff series after being behind 3–1. In the second round, the Suns faced the Los Angeles Clippers. The series was played closely, with both teams trading games on each other's courts. The series was 2–2 and The Suns faced a huge deficit in Game 5 but fought back and won in double OT and after a Game 6 loss finally won the series in the decisive seventh game on their home court at US Airways Center, winning by a margin of 20 with an NBA record 15 3-point FG's May 22, 2006. They went on to play the Dallas Mavericks in the Western Conference Finals. Underdogs this time, The Suns took Game 1 in Dallas by a single point and their May 30 victory in Game 4 marked the most wins thus far for the franchise in a Conference Finals series since the 1993 season. Many credit this success (despite losing Stoudemire) to the emergence of Diaw, Bell (out for two games of the series due to injury), and Barbosa as clutch playoff performers; and an overall team depth they did not possess the previous season. The Suns lost Games 5 and 6 by a combined 25 points and eliminated from the series on June 3, 2006 in Game 6. It was yet another disappointing end for the Suns. 2007–2010: Ups and downs On June 6, former TNT analyst and NBA three-point specialist, Steve Kerr, was appointed Suns' General Manager and President of Basketball Operations. Kerr was also a part of the Sarver-led investment group that purchased the franchise from Jerry Colangelo.[citation needed] On May 11, 2008, after the Suns had lost to the San Antonio Spurs 4–1 in the first round of the 2008 Western Conference Playoffs, Suns Head Coach Mike D'Antoni signed with the New York Knicks. And on June 9, 2008, Terry Porter was named Head Coach of the Phoenix Suns, succeeding Mike D'Antoni. Porter was an Assistant Coach of the Detroit Pistons when he was let go after the Pistons were eliminated by the Boston Celtics in the 2008 NBA Eastern Conference Finals. During the offseason, the Suns had difficulties signing free agents because of being over the luxury tax. They made attempts to sign a backup point guard, Tyronn Lue, however, he decided to sign with the Bucks for more money. The Suns selected Robin Lopez (15th overall pick out of Stanford University) in the 2008 NBA Draft and acquired Goran Dragić, who was originally picked by the rival San Antonio Spurs. On February 16, the Suns fired Terry Porter and he was succeeded by Alvin Gentry. The Suns were expected to make the transition back to the up-tempo style basketball nicknamed the "7 Seconds or Less" or "Run and Gun style." On February 18, Alvin Gentry began his head coaching tenure with a 140–100 blowout over the Clippers at home. Six Suns players scored in double digits, led by Leandro Barbosa's 24 points. The Suns led by as much as 50 points during the game and were without their swingman Jason Richardson who was serving a one game suspension. However, this offense cost them their defense, allowing over 107 points per game, 27th in the league. The Suns would score 140 in the next two games. On February 20 Amar'e Stoudemire underwent eye surgery and was out for 8 weeks. They went 18–13 under Alvin Gentry in the last 31 games. At the end of the season the Suns missed the playoffs with a 46–36 record. The offseason brought uncertainty for the Suns, with the possibility of rebuilding the base of the team. During the 2009 –2010 season, the Suns played a far more balanced style of basketball and finished with a 54–28 record. The Suns advanced to the NBA's Western Conference Finals, eliminating the Portland Trail Blazers in six games and the San Antonio Spurs in four games, including an explosive performance by Goran Dragić in game 3 against the Spurs, scoring 23 points in the fourth quarter. The Suns faced the Lakers in the Western Conference Finals, but lost in six games. On June 15, 2010 Kerr resigned as General Manager of the Suns and opted to return as an analyst for TNT effective June 30, 2010. In the wake of Kerr's decision to leave the club, Senior V.P. of Basketball Operations David Griffin told Managing Partner Robert Sarver he did not want to be a candidate to replace Kerr and will leave once his contract expires June 30. The last moves of both Steve Kerr and David Griffin were drafting players Gani Lawal and Dwayne Collins with the second round draft picks that they had in the 2010 NBA Draft. 2010–2012: Slow decline without Amar'e Since mid-2010, the Suns have been in a rebuilding mode. While the Suns did plan on resigning Amar'e Stoudemire in the 2010 Free Agency period with a 5 year contract for around $95 million, Stoudemire would only receive $71 million guaranteed, with the rest of his salary coming only if certain conditions were held, such as getting guaranteed 4th and 5th season money if he remained healthy enough to meet those conditions. However, during the summer of 2010, the Suns let superstar Stoudemire go to the New York Knicks since they were guaranteeing him $100 million, and hired player agent Lon Babby as president of basketball operations. The team then paid over $80 million to acquire Hedo Türkoğlu, Josh Childress, and Hakim Warrick to not only replace Stoudemire, but also add bench depth. On August 5, 2010, the Suns also hired Lance Blanks to be their general manager as a means to make moves for their future while also competing during this period. On December 19, 2010, the Suns acquired Vince Carter, Mickaël Piétrus, and Marcin Gortat from the Orlando Magic, along with a low draft pick and cash considerations. For this acquisition, the Suns traded Jason Richardson, Earl Clark, and the recently acquired Hedo Türkoğlu. On February 24, 2011 the Suns acquired point guard Aaron Brooks, trading first round (Lottery Protected) draft pick and point guard Goran Dragić to the Houston Rockets. The Suns were looking to have more successes in the next season after missing the playoffs despite a successful run that resulted in a conference championship appearance for the team. In the 2011 NBA Draft in June 2011, the Suns used their 13th pick selecting Markieff Morris, standing about 6' 10", a power forward from the Kansas Jayhawks. Markieff is the twin brother of Marcus Morris, who played together for 3 years in Kansas and also currently plays for the Suns. In the 2012 NBA Draft, the Suns used their 13th pick to select Kendall Marshall, a 6'4" point guard from the North Carolina Tar Heels. Marshall was a prolific passer in his two seasons at North Carolina; setting the ACC and North Carolina season assist records, along with winning the Bob Cousy Award in his sophomore season with the Tar Heels. 2012–present: The End of the Steve Nash Era & The Start of the Slash BrothersDuring the 2012 free agency period, the Suns began their transition from the Steve Nash era by trading Nash to the Los Angeles Lakers in exchange for first round picks in 2013 and 2015, as well as second round picks for 2013 and 2014. After the trade, the Suns would then re-acquire point guard Goran Dragić from Houston, sign Minnesota Timberwolves forward Michael Beasley, and also claim Houston forward Luis Scola off waivers while also using their amnesty clause (as codified in the 2011 collective bargaining agreement) to waive Josh Childress. They also did a three-way trade with the New Orleans Hornets and the Minnesota Timberwolves by trading Robin Lopez and Hakim Warrick to the Hornets and a 2014 second rounder to the Timberwolves in exchange for Wesley Johnson, a lottery protected future first rounder, and the rights of Brad Miller and Jerome Dyson. The latter two players' rights were later waived and the Suns then signed Jermaine O'Neal for one year. The Suns also grabbed P. J. Tucker based on his performance with the Suns' Summer League team. On September 20, it was announced that Channing Frye had dilated cardiomyopathy. As a result, he would miss the entire 2012–13 season, although he sometimes made special appearances to do the pre-game show for local Suns games with Tom Leander and Tom Chambers. On January 12, 2013, the Suns would become the 4th fastest NBA team to win 2,000 games with a 97-81 road victory against the Chicago Bulls. That would also mark the last victory for Alvin Gentry as head coach for the Suns.On January 18, 2013, the day after a loss that broke a 24-home game winning streak against the Milwaukee Bucks, head coach Alvin Gentry agreed to leave the Phoenix Suns organization. Two days later, it was announced that player development coach Lindsey Hunter would take on an interim head coach role for the remainder of the season. A few days later, both assistant head coaches Dan Majerle and Elston Turner had also resigned from their positions. On February 21, 2013, it was announced that the Suns had traded their 2013 second round pick to the Houston Rockets in exchange for Marcus Morris, the twin brother of power forward Markieff Morris. A day later, the Suns traded point guard Sebastian Telfair to the Toronto Raptors in exchange for Iranian center Hamed Haddadi and a 2014 second round pick. The Phoenix Suns ended their first post-Steve Nash season with a 25–57 win-loss record. It was their second-worst record in franchise history, behind only their inaugural season. On April 22, 2013, it was announced that the Suns had fired General Manager Lance Blanks, after the second-worst season in franchise history. Blanks had been the GM since August 5, 2010. On May 7, 2013, former Celtics assistant GM Ryan McDonough was announced as the new GM of the Suns. On May 26, 2013, the Suns hired former Sun Jeff Hornacek as their head coach to replace interim head coach Lindsey Hunter. A day later, the Suns hired Washington Wizards director of player personnel Pat Connelly and former Lakers assistant general manager Ronnie Lester as new master talent evaluators for the Suns. The Suns would also hire Emilio Kovačić as an international scouting consultant and Trevor Bukstein as an assistant general manager. Before officially announcing their newest assistant head coaches, lead assistant Igor Kokoškov ended up leaving to be an assistant for the Cleveland Cavaliers. On June 12, it was announced that not only was Hall of Famer Ralph Sampson no longer an assistant head coach, but the team would also have former Suns player Mark West and former Washington Wizards assistant coach Jerry Sichting as the team's newest assistant head coaches. The Suns would also later on announce that former Suns player Kenny Gattison and former Boston Celtics assistant coach Mike Longabardi would be added on to the coaching staff, replacing assistant coaches Noel Gillespie, Dan Panaggio, and Corey Gaines in the process, although Gaines would still do further work with the Suns organization. The team would also start the new season with modified logos that the team originally had, replacing most of the purple involved on their logos with black, although purple would still be found on their jerseys. In the 2013 NBA Draft, the Suns would select center Olexsiy "Alex" Len from the University of Maryland with their 5th pick and power forward Alex Oriakhi from the University of Missouri with their 57th pick on June 27. In addition, they traded their 30th pick to the Golden State Warriors for shooting guards Archie Goodwin from the University of Kentucky (who was selected one pick earlier) and Malcolm Lee on the same day. On July 2, 2013, the Suns would agree to a trade involving the Los Angeles Clippers and the Milwaukee Bucks, where they would give up Jared Dudley to the Clippers and a 2014 second round pick to the Bucks in exchange for point guard Eric Bledsoe and small forward Caron Butler, both of whom last played for the L.A. Clippers. The Suns also agreed to trade Luis Scola to the Indiana Pacers in exchange for Gerald Green, Miles Plumlee, and a 2014 lottery protected first round pick on July 27. The Suns would later on trade Butler to the Bucks for center Viacheslav Kravtsov and point guard Ish Smith on August 29. In addition, the Suns also waived one of their biggest signings from last season, Michael Beasley, on September 3, 2013. Finally, before the 2013–14 NBA season began, the Suns traded center Marcin Gortat, alongside guards Shannon Brown, Kendall Marshall (who the team drafted a year earlier), and Malcolm Lee to the Washington Wizards for veteran forward-center Emeka Okafor and a Top 12 protected 2014 first round draft pick. The Phoenix Suns were picked to go 16-66 in the 2013-2014 season, that prediction was soon made to look foolish. Phoenix reached their projected win total 26 games into the season, going 16-10. Phoenix were cruising and critics were starting to believe they were a legit team in this years season. A twist in the plot of the season came when Eric Bledsoe (a main reason to the early success) went down against the Los Angeles Clippers with a torn meniscus. This injury occurred when the Suns were 19-11 on the season. Bledsoe would miss 33 games due to this injury and the Suns would go 17-16 during this stretch. Phoenix went over 500. during this period thanks to consistent play from Gerald Green, Markieff Morris, Channing Frye and Miles Plumlee. The main reason for the success was the break-out performance of Goran Dragic. Dragic lead Phoenix to a 36-27 record whilst Bledsoe was out and this set Phoenix up for a strong playoff push. Dragic was on the brink of an All-Star selection and is almost certain to make the team next year if his production stays consistent or improves. Phoenix were in a tight playoff race with Memphis Grizzlies and Dallas Mavericks and ironically these 3 teams would all face each other in the last week of the regular season. Before these teams faced off, Phoenix was sitting at 47-32 whilst Dallas and Memphis were both 48-32. Phoenix lost against both Memphis and Dallas and beat Sacramento Kings to finish the season 48-34, Dallas beat Phoenix and lost to Memphis to finish 49-33 and Memphis beat both Phoenix and Dallas to finish 50-32. This resulted in Memphis finishing with the 7th seed, Dallas finishing with the 8th seed and Phoenix finishing with the 9th seed. This was unfortunate as Phoenix overachieved largely and a playoff berth would've been a great way for the young Phoenix team to top on what was already an amazing season. Phoenix has a large amount of cap space and are bound to make a splash in free agency, on top of this they have 3 first round picks in this years draft that could also be a good piece for a team Phoenix trade with, if they're looking to build through the draft which is projected to be very deep this year. Phoenix have valuable assets to give up in a trade also, especially Emeka Okafor who didn't play a game in the 2013-2014 due to injury. Phoenix overachieved in the 2013-2014 and it doesn't seem like long until they're back as a powerhouse in the Western Conference and one of the top teams in the NBA. Season-by-season recordsMain article: List of Phoenix Suns seasons Uniforms
Since their debut, the Suns home uniforms are always white with purple and orange trim. On the road their uniforms are purple with white and orange trim, with accents of black during the 1990s and gray on the current versions. They also had a black alternate uniform during the mid-1990s. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Phoenix Suns roster | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Players | Coaches | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
Athletic trainer(s)
Legend
Roster • Transactions Last transaction: 2014–06–26 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| G |  | Bogdan Bogdanović | 2014 NBA Draft | 27th Pick |
| F |  | Alex Oriakhi | 2013 NBA Draft | 57th Pick |
| F | | Dwayne Collins | 2010 NBA Draft | 60th Pick |
| Phoenix Suns retired numbers | |||
| No. | Player | Position | Career |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | Dick Van Arsdale | G | 1968–771 |
| 6 | Walter Davis | G | 1977–88 |
| 7 | Kevin Johnson | G | 1988–1998, 2000 |
| 9 | Dan Majerle | F | 1988–95, 2001–022 |
| 24 | Tom Chambers | F | 1988–93 |
| 33 | Alvan Adams3 | C | 1975–88 |
| 34 | Charles Barkley4 | F | 1992–96 |
| 42 | Connie Hawkins | F | 1969–73 |
| 44 | Paul Westphal | G | 1975–80, 1983–845 |
(FA)