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2019–20 Phoenix Suns season

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2019–20 Phoenix Suns season
Head coachMonty Williams
General managerJames Jones
OwnersRobert Sarver
ArenaTalking Stick Resort Arena (before season suspension)
ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex (after season suspension; closed off to the public)
Results
Record34–39 (.466)
PlaceDivision: 3rd (Pacific)
Conference: 10th (Western)
Playoff finishDid not qualify

Stats at Basketball-Reference.com
Local media
TelevisionFox Sports Arizona
RadioKTAR
< 2018–19 2020–21 >

The 2019–20 Phoenix Suns season was their 52nd season of the franchise in the National Basketball Association (NBA), as well as their 27th season at the Talking Stick Resort Arena, later being considered the last season playing under that name.[1][2] At the conclusion of their previous season, the Suns made James Jones the team's permanent general manager, with co-interim general manager Trevor Bukstein returning to his prior assistant general manager role.[3] With a 19–63 season over, their entire coaching staff, including head coach Igor Kokoškov, was dismissed on April 23, 2019.[4][5] After a quick head coaching search, the Suns hired former New Orleans Hornets/Pelicans head coach and Philadelphia 76ers assistant coach Monty Williams as the team's new head coach on May 3,[6] later completing their new coaching staff on June 26.[7][8] After the first seven games, despite an early 25-game long suspension to star center Deandre Ayton, the Suns had their best start to a season since the 2013–14 season, and best point differential since the 2004–05 season.[9][10]

The season was suspended by the league officials following the games completed on March 11[11] after it was reported that Rudy Gobert (and a referee by proxy) tested positive for COVID-19.[12] During that time, the Suns put up their best record in the last five seasons at 26–39. The suspension continued all the way until July 30,[13] with the NBA agreeing to reopen the league under a modified system behind closed doors for the best 22 teams (including the Suns) this season through a 29–1 majority vote by the NBA and a unanimous vote by the NBPA.[14][15] The Suns had a shot to advance to the playoffs for the first time since the 2009-10 NBA season by reaching the Western Conference's 8th seed via this season's play-in tournament as a Seed 9 and winning the tournament there. However, their chances before that point were hurt with not only Kelly Oubre Jr. announcing he would no longer play for the rest of the season, but two other Suns players (later revealed to be Aron Baynes and Ricky Rubio, though it eventually turned into four or five different players[16]) later confirmed to test positive for COVID-19 before the season resumed.[17] Despite playing without key players Kelly Oubre Jr. and Aron Baynes in the resumed season, the Suns won all 8 games in the 2020 NBA Bubble, not only being the only undefeated team in the NBA bubble, but also reaching the 30-win barrier for the first time since the 2014–15 season. Still, despite them going undefeated there (having their best winning streak to end a season ever at 8 wins in a row), they would miss the playoffs for a decade straight due to the Memphis Grizzlies having the tiebreaker over Phoenix after beating the Oklahoma City Thunder and Milwaukee Bucks there, as well as the Portland Trail Blazers barely making it as the new Seed 8 of the play-in tournament, winning 134–133 over the Brooklyn Nets.

Off-season

[edit]

Front office changes

[edit]

After the conclusion of the team's prior season, the Suns named James Jones their permanent general manager after serving as a coinciding interim general manager with Trevor Bukstein during the previous season. Bukstein was moved back to his original assistant general manager role by that time, while Jeff Bower became the senior vice president of basketball operations.[3] On April 30, 2019, the Suns announced the departure of long-standing athletic trainer and senior vice president of athlete health and performance Aaron Nelson.[18] Nelson left the Suns to be the new head athletic trainer for the New Orleans Pelicans, reuniting with David Griffin and Alvin Gentry there.[19] Starting with this season, Nelson's position was replaced by a newly created sports medicine and performance team. The position was headlined by Brady Howe as the senior director of player health and performance, with David Crewe being the director of medical services and head athletic trainer.[20]

During the regular season, Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald also joined the front office as a partial owner, business and basketball adviser for the Suns, as well as a player adviser for both the Suns and Phoenix Mercury on January 22, 2020.[21] On July 31, days after the Phoenix Suns announced the sale of their NBA G League affiliate Northern Arizona Suns franchise to the Detroit Pistons (with this season also inadvertently being their last season with the Northern Arizona Suns G League affiliate team), the Phoenix Suns franchise also confirmed that around 30 different employees involved with the franchise were laid off for varying reasons. Those reasons for their layoffs ranged from being redundant to being outdated to impacting the franchise's performance as a whole. The timing of their layoffs were also considered not related to any of the renovations for the Talking Stick Resort Arena, any plans for building their new practice facility nearby the arena, or even the impact that the COVID-19 pandemic caused upon the world.[22]

Coaching changes

[edit]

On April 22, 2019, the Suns fired head coach Igor Kokoškov after only one season with the team, despite giving him a three-year deal,[4] later firing the rest of the coaching staff the following day.[23] After this period, the Suns interviewed former New Orleans Hornets/Pelicans head coach and Philadelphia 76ers assistant coach Monty Williams and Portland Trail Blazers assistant coaches Nate Tibbetts and David Vanterpool.[5] Monty Williams agreed to a five-year deal to coach the Suns on May 3, which became effective on May 12 at the conclusion of the 76ers' playoff run against the eventual 2019 NBA Finals champions, the Toronto Raptors.[6] After a lengthy interviewing process with multiple assistant coach candidates, the Suns announced their new coaching staff on June 26, with Willie Green of the Golden State Warriors, Darko Rajaković and Mark Bryant of the Oklahoma City Thunder, Brooklyn Nets scout Randy Ayers, Larry Greer of the Minnesota Timberwolves, and Portland Trail Blazers on-court assistant Steve Blake being named assistant coaches; Gonzaga University's director of analysis Riccardo Fois and Philadelphia 76ers player development specialist Ben Strong were also named player development coaches.[7][8]

On July 16, 2020, during the team's stay in Orlando, Florida for the resumed season, the Suns released an updated coaching staff for the franchise during not just the rest of this season, but also intended for entering their next season as well.[24] In this updated coaching staff, the Suns confirmed the official firings of both Steve Blake and Larry Greer from the team. Both coaches were laid off sometime between June 1, the time where the NBA's coaches made their stand on the murder of George Floyd, and July 7, the beginning of their official trip out to Orlando for the rest of their season.[25] Furthermore, the Suns also announced the promotion of Riccardo Fois to being the director of player development, as well as the hiring of both Ryan Frazier as head video coordinator and former Austin Spurs and San Antonio Spurs assistant coach William Donovan III as the assistant video coordinator. Despite the sudden change before the restart, the Suns still finished their restart with a perfect run in the resumed season.

Draft

[edit]
Round Pick Player Position(s) Nationality College / Club
1 6 Jarrett Culver Shooting Guard United States United States Texas Tech
2 32 KZ Okpala Small Forward United States United States Stanford

Entering the night of the 2019 NBA draft, the Suns held just one first-round pick and one second-round pick.[26] With the new lottery projections, the Suns were one of three teams with the best overall odds for a top-4 pick alongside the New York Knicks and Cleveland Cavaliers. Due to them having a tied record with the Cavaliers at the end of last season, a tiebreaker coin-flip to determine which team acquired the second-best odds for a top pick in the draft was held. The Suns lost the tiebreaker, resulting in them getting the third-best odds at #1 with a chance to fall as far back as pick #7. The tiebreaker also flipped for the second-round picks; Phoenix received the #32 pick while the Philadelphia 76ers via Cleveland received the #33 pick. At the night of the draft lottery, the Suns fell to #6, the furthest a team with the third-best odds had fallen in the NBA draft lottery as of this season, as well as the worst drop-off a team with less than 20 wins received after a season.[27] Phoenix also held a chance to acquire the Milwaukee Bucks' first-round pick the prior season, though it would not be acquired via the Bucks having the best regular-season record that season.[28]

On draft night, the Suns agreed to three separate trades, each involving different teams, which were all made official on July 6, 2019. The first trade involved trading small forward T. J. Warren to the Indiana Pacers and their second-round pick of the draft (which became small forward KZ Okpala of Stanford University) to the Miami Heat for cash considerations from Indiana for the purpose of opening up their salary cap in free agency.[29] Their second trade had the Suns trade the 6th pick of the draft (which became shooting guard Jarrett Culver from Texas Tech University) to the Minnesota Timberwolves in exchange for power forward Dario Šarić and Minnesota's own first-round pick at #11.[30] That selection became forward Cameron Johnson from the University of North Carolina, who became an All-ACC First Team member in the 2018–19 season. Johnson later became an efficient bench player for most of the season before performing as a capable starting power forward in the 2020 NBA Bubble, later becoming a key member for their improbable 2021 NBA Finals run. With their final trade, the Suns agreed to trade away the Milwaukee Bucks' future first-round pick (which was the 30th pick of next season's draft) to the Boston Celtics in exchange for center Aron Baynes and the 24th pick of the draft (which was earlier owned by the Philadelphia 76ers), point guard Ty Jerome from the University of Virginia.[31] Jerome was an All-ACC Third Team member in 2018 before being an All-ACC Second Team member in 2019 and winning the 2019 NCAA tournament with Virginia. They also agreed to a partially guaranteed deal with Brewster Academy postgraduate student Jalen Lecque after the draft as an undrafted player, signing his deal alongside the other rookies on July 6, 2019.

Free agency

[edit]

For this season, free agency began on June 30, 2019, at 6:00 P.M. EST instead of the previously typical July 1 at midnight EST period.[32] Players Dragan Bender (through being declined his fourth-year team option), Jamal Crawford, Troy Daniels, and Richaun Holmes all became unrestricted free agents as of the end of the 2018–19 NBA season, while Kelly Oubre Jr. became a restricted free agent. In addition, both Jimmer Fredette and Ray Spalding held non-guaranteed second seasons with the team, while Tyler Johnson held a player option for this season. Tyler Johnson exercised his player option on June 21,[33] while Jimmer Fredette and Ray Spalding were not guaranteed a second year with the team on June 24 and 29, respectively, though Spalding still played with the Suns during the 2019 NBA Summer League, while Fredette played for the Golden State Warriors there.[34][35] George King also had a two-way contract that expired this season, though he played for the Utah Jazz's Summer League team instead.

On June 30, Utah Jazz point guard Ricky Rubio agreed to a three-year deal worth $51 million to become the Suns' newest starting point guard, which was signed on July 8.[36] The next day, both Troy Daniels and Richaun Holmes agreed to new deals to join the Los Angeles Lakers and Sacramento Kings, respectively. Charlotte Hornets power forward/center Frank Kaminsky III also agreed to a two-year deal worth $10 million later that day, which was later signed on July 17.[37] On July 3, the Suns agreed to trade Josh Jackson, De'Anthony Melton, and two second-round picks to the Memphis Grizzlies for guards Kyle Korver and Jevon Carter,[38] with Korver being waived on July 8.[39] On July 6, the Suns signed undrafted Brewster Academy point guard Jalen Lecque to a partially guaranteed four-year deal (first two seasons fully guaranteed).[40][41] Four days later, Kelly Oubre Jr. agreed to a two-year extension worth $30 million to return with the team, which he signed on July 16.[42] On July 15, Jimmer Fredette signed with the Panathinaikos B.C. in Greece. The next day (which was also Kelly Oubre Jr.'s signing day), the Suns agreed to a two-year, $3.5 million deal with former New Orleans Pelicans power forward Cheick Diallo, which he signed on July 23,[43] and a two-way contract spot with Auburn University point guard Jared Harper, which he signed on August 3.[44] On July 21, George King signed a multi-year deal with the Dolomiti Energia Trento in Italy.[45] Dragan Bender later agreed to a partially guaranteed two-year deal with the Milwaukee Bucks on July 25,[46] officially signing with the Bucks on July 30.[47] Ray Spalding also agreed to a non-guaranteed deal with the Atlanta Hawks a day later on July 31, though he was waived before the preseason even concluded on October 8, 2019.[48] Spalding then signed with the Houston Rockets on October 10, 2019, before being waived after the preseason on the 19th and playing for the Rio Grande Valley Vipers in the NBA G League until he later signed a two-way contract with the Charlotte Hornets and Greensboro Swarm in early 2020. The only player that did not sign a new deal in the initial season was Jamal Crawford; he did not sign with any NBA team before the COVID-19 pandemic, but he did sign with the Brooklyn Nets inside the 2020 NBA Bubble out in Orlando as a replacement player for Spencer Dinwiddie on July 9, 2020, under their resumed season despite his signing being after the brief signing period of June 22-July 1, 2020.[49] However, Crawford only played in one game for his 20th season in the NBA before getting injured and later being ruled out for the rest of the season.

On September 27, 2019, the Phoenix Suns announced the signing of Auburn point guard Jared Harper on a two-way contract, as well as the training camp signings of Texas Tech forwards Tariq Owens and Norense Odiase and Ratiopharm Ulm guard David Krämer, a born Slovak raised in Austria that competitively represents Germany.[50][51][52] They later waived Owens, Odiase, and Krämer (the last of whom was injured during training camp) from the team after the conclusion of their preseason on October 15.[53] The Suns also signed and waived forwards Aaron Epps and Troy Williams on October 19.[54][55] Every player except for Williams later played for the Northern Arizona Suns afterward, with Troy playing for the U.S. Victoria Libertas Pallacanestro in Italy's Lega Basket Serie A. Owens eventually signed a two-way contract to return with the Phoenix Suns properly on January 15, 2020.[56][57] After failing to find a deal for Tyler Johnson during the trade deadline, he was waived from the team on February 10. Johnson was later replaced by former Philadelphia 76ers power forward Jonah Bolden on a 10-day contract two days later.[58] However, Bolden was not renewed for another 10-day contract by February 24 and did not sign with another team during this season, either before or after COVID-19 suspended this season. During the 2019–20 NBA season suspension caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Suns waived Jared Harper's two-way contract on March 14, noting the eventual cancellation of the 2019–20 NBA G League season as a consideration for him.[59][60] However, because his waiver was first announced on the day after the season was first suspended, his waiver was not regarded as official until June 23.[61]

When the NBA announced their plans to resume the 2019–20 season, they opened up a brief period from June 22 to July 1, 2020, where teams can expand their rosters to 17 players properly (meaning two-way contracts would play in the 2020 Playoffs due to the aftermath of this season's suspension) if they don't already have enough players to play with during their stay in Orlando, though even teams that aren't competing in Orlando will be able to make similar moves as well. Players signing in the resumed season for this period will only receive either short-term deals for the rest of the season, two-year deals with a minimum salary of 20/177th the value of the veteran's minimum for this season, or a two-way contract if eligible, with teams also eligible to waive players during that time, if necessary.[62] With Tyler Johnson waived after the trade deadline and not yet permanently replaced by Phoenix at the time combined with Jared Harper being waived on June 23 officially, the Suns had a chance to fill up both a regular open spot and an open two-way contract spot for the 2020 NBA Bubble. (Kelly Oubre Jr. was not eligible for replacement due to him being considered out via injury with a chance to recover in time.) While it was reported that the Suns had two of their own players (which were revealed to be Aron Baynes & Ricky Rubio, with later reports expanding the amount to four or five total) tested positive for COVID-19, which made them eligible for substitute players for this season (initially players with 0–3 seasons of NBA experience before later including veteran players as well), these players were ultimately not seriously affected for the resumed season to warrant such players due to them being discovered early in that period of time and were later able to travel to Orlando before the start of the season.[17] On June 30, 2020, the Suns signed point guard Cameron Payne, who last played for the Texas Legends in the NBA G League earlier this season, to a partially (later fully) guaranteed two-year deal worth a total of $2,173,299, with this season's guarantee of $196,288 for the Orlando period being the total veteran's minimum for his fourth season in the NBA for that section of the season.[63][64] He was the only contract signed for the Suns during that period, opting not to fill up their other two-way contract spot. Tariq Owens, their only remaining two-way contract left for the season, was later confirmed to not join the Suns in Orlando for July & August as well, though he was out for his own personal reasons. None of the 22 teams in the 2020 NBA Bubble required any further substitute players once this season resumed on July 30, 2020.

Roster

[edit]
2019–20 Phoenix Suns roster
Players Coaches
Pos. No. Name Height Weight DOB From
C 22 Ayton, Deandre 7 ft 1 in (2.16 m) 250 lb (113 kg) 1998–07–23 Arizona
C 46 Baynes, Aron 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 260 lb (118 kg) 1986–12–09 Washington State
SG 1 Booker, Devin 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 206 lb (93 kg) 1996–10–30 Kentucky
SF 25 Bridges, Mikal 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 209 lb (95 kg) 1996–08–30 Villanova
PG 4 Carter, Jevon 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 200 lb (91 kg) 1995–09–14 West Virginia
PF 14 Diallo, Cheick 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 220 lb (100 kg) 1996–09–13 Kansas
SG 10 Jerome, Ty 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 195 lb (88 kg) 1997–07–08 Virginia
SF 23 Johnson, Cameron 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 210 lb (95 kg) 1996–03–03 North Carolina
PF/C 8 Kaminsky, Frank 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) 240 lb (109 kg) 1993–04–04 Wisconsin
PG 0 Lecque, Jalen 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 2000–06–13 Brewster Academy (NH)
PG 2 Okobo, Élie 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 1997–10–23 France
SF 3 Oubre, Kelly 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 203 lb (92 kg) 1995–12–09 Kansas
PF 41 Owens, Tariq (TW) 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 205 lb (93 kg) 1995–06–30 Texas Tech
PG 15 Payne, Cameron (SP) 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 183 lb (83 kg) 1994–08–08 Murray State
PG 11 Rubio, Ricky 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 1990–10–21 Spain
PF 20 Šarić, Dario 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 225 lb (102 kg) 1994–04–08 Croatia
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)

Legend
  • (DP) Unsigned draft pick
  • (FA) Free agent
  • (S) Suspended
  • (GL) On assignment to G League affiliate
  • (TW) Two-way affiliate player
  • (SP) Substitute player
  • Injured Injured

Roster
Last transaction: 2020–08–13

Preseason

[edit]

The preseason schedule was announced on July 29, 2019.[65] Their preseason schedule was the second-shortest preseason in franchise history, behind the lockout shortened 2011–12 season.[66] All home games played under this time were only viewed locally through the team's official website with recording done via Livestream.com, while road games were only available online outside of the team's area, similar to their last few preseasons. However, all games were heard through local radio stations as an alternative. The Suns ended their preseason with a 2–2 record.

2019 preseason game log
Total: 2–2 (Home: 1–1; Road: 1–1)
Preseason: 2–2 (home: 1–1; road: 1–1)
Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location
Attendance
Record
1 October 8 Minnesota W 111–106 Deandre Ayton (18) Deandre Ayton (13) Devin Booker, Ricky Rubio (5) Talking Stick Resort Arena
7,593
1–0
2 October 10 @ Sacramento L 88–105 Devin Booker (18) Devin Booker (7) Ty Jerome (4) Golden 1 Center
15,385
1–1
3 October 12 @ Portland W 134–118 Kelly Oubre Jr. (19) Dario Šarić (8) Frank Kaminsky III (8) Moda Center
18,468
2–1
4 October 14 Denver L 102–107 Frank Kaminsky III (22) Frank Kaminsky III (6) Ricky Rubio (9) Talking Stick Resort Arena
8,075
2–2
2019–20 season schedule

Scrimmage games

[edit]

On June 16, 2020, the NBA provided a six phase plan for each team competing at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex nearby Walt Disney World.[67] For the fifth phase, the 22 teams left competing in Orlando played three scrimmage games behind closed doors against teams living in hotels nearby each other. For the Suns, they competed in games against other teams staying in Disney's Coronado Springs Resort for the month of July, which were the Utah Jazz, Boston Celtics, and the defending champion Toronto Raptors, all in different arenas hosting these teams at the complex.[68] Unlike in the preseason, the three scrimmage games the Suns played in aired live on Fox Sports Arizona as well as local radio stations alongside the rest of the resumed games for the regular season.[69] They also began wearing cloth face masks to protect themselves from catching COVID-19 for safety purposes. Each team's first game in the scrimmage had only 10-minute quarters for 40-minute games instead of the usual 12-minute quarters for 48 minute games due to a combination of easing players back into action and how teams like the Suns did not have everyone arrive initially on their respective dates.[70] Their last game began the experiment of virtual fans seeing the game live due to the temporary setup for the complex under this period, which was to be used for the rest of the season.[71][72] Phoenix finished their scrimmage games with a 2–1 record, winning their 40-minute game against the Utah Jazz, but losing to Boston and winning against Toronto in their regular, 48-minute matches.

2020 preseason game log
Total: 2–1 (Home: 1–0; Road: 1–1)
Scrimmages: 2–1 (home: 1–0; road: 1–1)
Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location
Attendance
Record
1 July 23 @ Utah W 101–88 Mikal Bridges (14) Deandre Ayton (8) Devin Booker, Ty Jerome, Frank Kaminsky III (3) HP Field House
Closed off arena
1–0
2 July 26 @ Boston L 103–117 Devin Booker (17) Dario Šarić (8) Devin Booker (9) Visa Athletic Center
Closed off arena
1–1
3 July 28 Toronto W 117–106 Mikal Bridges (26) Deandre Ayton, Devin Booker, Frank Kaminsky III (6) Devin Booker (7) AdventHealth Arena
Closed off arena
2–1
2019–20 season schedule

Regular season

[edit]

On June 7, 2019, the NBA announced that the Suns would play against the San Antonio Spurs on December 14, 2019, at the Mexico City Arena in Mexico City.[73] That game ended in an overtime loss to San Antonio. The NBA later announced the rest of the league's schedule on August 12.[74] After the first game of the season, Deandre Ayton was suspended for 25 games due to diuretic usage. Despite that setback alongside multiple serious injuries to the team, under the original schedule, the Suns put up a 26–39 record for the season, which already was their best record in over five seasons.

On March 11, 2020, the NBA postponed the rest of the regular season, effective after the end of most of the league’s games played that night. This period left most of the regular season games scheduled throughout March and April in jeopardy of cancellation due to the long suspension. The Suns ended their initial season being six games out of the playoffs from that period, just barely qualifying for resumption. On June 4, the NBA agreed to resume the regular season for 22 teams, including the Suns, behind closed doors at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Orlando, Florida. Each team only received eight new regular season games for late July and early August before a play-in tournament began with the top two teams for Seed 8 being at least four games apart from each other before the already qualified teams went straight into the 2020 NBA playoffs. The NBA revealed every team’s remaining schedules on June 26, with the Suns having a shuffled period of the initial 8 games they originally had against bubble qualified teams from March 14-April 1, 2020 rescheduled for July 31-August 13, 2020.[75]

Every scheduled game the Suns played in the 2020 NBA Bubble (including their game against the Los Angeles Clippers that aired on NBA TV, as well as the last regular season game against the Dallas Mavericks that aired early on TNT, both held at the AdventHealth Arena in the designated bubble area) still aired on Fox Sports Arizona, though their entire broadcasting crew was working remotely in Arizona during these games.[76] The team also started wearing special cloth face masks during the remaining games played this season, as well as wore "Black Lives Matter" t-shirts before games and kneeling down for the national anthem.[77] Every game these 22 teams competed in during this stretch counted for their overall regular season records. They also provided a potential jump up with playoff and draft placements in the 2020 NBA draft in the event the Suns made it to the playoffs properly, though they would not count for any potential impact in the NBA draft lottery for that upcoming draft. With their resumed season, the Suns managed to get a perfect 8–0 return in the 2020 NBA Bubble to end their regular season at 34–39. However, they did not reach the play-in tournament due to the Portland Trail Blazers having a better record and the Memphis Grizzlies having the tiebreaker over Phoenix this season.

Game log

[edit]
2019–20 game log
Total: 34–39 (Home: 17–22; Road: 17–17)
October: 3–2 (home: 2–1; road: 1–1)
Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location
Attendance
Record
1 October 23 Sacramento W 124–95 Devin Booker (22) Deandre Ayton (11) Ricky Rubio (11) Talking Stick Resort Arena
18,055
1–0
2 October 25 @ Denver L 107–108 (OT) Kelly Oubre Jr. (23) Frank Kaminsky III (11) Ricky Rubio (9) Pepsi Center
19,557
1–1
3 October 26 L. A. Clippers W 130–122 Devin Booker (30) Dario Šarić (10) Devin Booker (8) Talking Stick Resort Arena
15,802
2–1
4 October 28 Utah L 95–96 Devin Booker (21) Ricky Rubio (10) Ricky Rubio (8) Talking Stick Resort Arena
14,805
2–2
5 October 30 @ Golden State W 121–110 Aron Baynes (24) Aron Baynes (12) Aron Baynes, Ricky Rubio (7) Chase Center
18,064
3–2
November : 5–8 (home: 3–6; road: 2–2)
Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location
Attendance
Record
6 November 2 @ Memphis W 114–105 Devin Booker (21) Dario Šarić (7) Ricky Rubio (5) FedExForum
14,144
4–2
7 November 4 Philadelphia W 114–109 Devin Booker (40) Aron Baynes, Ricky Rubio (7) Ricky Rubio (10) Talking Stick Resort Arena
14,285
5–2
8 November 7 Miami L 108–124 Aron Baynes (23) Ricky Rubio (11) Ricky Rubio (6) Talking Stick Resort Arena
15,498
5–3
9 November 10 Brooklyn W 138–112 Devin Booker (27) Aron Baynes (7) Ricky Rubio (12) Talking Stick Resort Arena
17,290
6–3
10 November 12 L. A. Lakers L 115–123 Devin Booker, Ricky Rubio (21) Frank Kaminsky III (9) Ricky Rubio (10) Talking Stick Resort Arena
18,055
6–4
11 November 14 Atlanta W 128–112 Kelly Oubre Jr. (30) Kelly Oubre Jr. (7) Ricky Rubio (8) Talking Stick Resort Arena
15,143
7–4
12 November 18 Boston L 85–99 Devin Booker (20) Dario Šarić (10) Aron Baynes (5) Talking Stick Resort Arena
15,193
7–5
13 November 19 @ Sacramento L 116–120 Devin Booker (30) Kelly Oubre Jr. (8) Devin Booker (8) Golden 1 Center
16,732
7–6
14 November 21 New Orleans L 121–124 Kelly Oubre Jr. (25) Mikal Bridges, Kelly Oubre Jr. (6) Devin Booker, Élie Okobo (7) Talking Stick Resort Arena
13,903
7–7
15 November 23 @ Minnesota W 100–98 Devin Booker (35) Devin Booker (12) Devin Booker (9) Target Center
17,362
8–7
16 November 24 @ Denver L 104–116 Cheick Diallo (22) Dario Šarić (17) Devin Booker (5) Pepsi Center
19,520
8–8
17 November 27 Washington L 132–140 Devin Booker (27) Dario Šarić (12) Devin Booker, Élie Okobo (8) Talking Stick Resort Arena
14,123
8–9
18 November 29 Dallas L 113–120 Kelly Oubre Jr. (22) Kelly Oubre Jr. (10) Ricky Rubio (9) Talking Stick Resort Arena
18,055
8–10
December : 5–9 (home: 1–4; road: 4–5)
Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location
Attendance
Record
19 December 2 @ Charlotte W 109–104 Devin Booker, Kelly Oubre Jr. (23) Dario Šarić (10) Ricky Rubio (13) Spectrum Center
11,221
9–10
20 December 4 @ Orlando L 114–128 Frank Kaminsky III (23) Dario Šarić (6) Ricky Rubio (9) Amway Center
15,176
9–11
21 December 5 @ New Orleans W 139–132 (OT) Devin Booker (44) Kelly Oubre Jr. (15) Ricky Rubio (15) Smoothie King Center
15,607
10–11
22 December 7 @ Houston L 109–115 Devin Booker (35) Dario Šarić (12) Ricky Rubio (13) Toyota Center
18,055
10–12
23 December 9 Minnesota W 125–109 Devin Booker (26) Dario Šarić (9) Ricky Rubio (14) Talking Stick Resort Arena
13,230
11–12
24 December 11 Memphis L 108–115 Frank Kaminsky III (24) Kelly Oubre Jr. (13) Devin Booker (10) Talking Stick Resort Arena
12,254
11–13
25 December 14 San Antonio L 119–121 (OT) Ricky Rubio (25) Dario Šarić (17) Ricky Rubio (13) Mexico City Arena (Mexico City)
20,013
11–14
26 December 16 Portland L 110–111 Kelly Oubre Jr. (24) Ricky Rubio (11) Ricky Rubio (14) Talking Stick Resort Arena
14,193
11–15
27 December 17 @ L. A. Clippers L 99–120 Kelly Oubre Jr. (19) Deandre Ayton (12) Ricky Rubio (8) Staples Center
19,068
11–16
28 December 20 @ Oklahoma City L 108–126 Ricky Rubio (24) Dario Šarić (6) Ricky Rubio (8) Chesapeake Energy Arena
18,203
11–17
29 December 21 Houston L 125–139 Kelly Oubre Jr. (26) Devin Booker (6) Devin Booker (9) Talking Stick Resort Arena
16,061
11–18
30 December 23 Denver L 111–113 Ricky Rubio (21) Ricky Rubio, Cameron Johnson (7) Ricky Rubio (9) Talking Stick Resort Arena
16,041
11–19
31 December 27 @ Golden State L 96–105 Devin Booker (34) Aron Baynes, Dario Šarić (10) Devin Booker, Ricky Rubio (4) Chase Center
18,064
11–20
32 December 28 @ Sacramento W 112–110 Devin Booker (32) Kelly Oubre Jr. (16) Devin Booker (10) Golden 1 Center
17,583
12–20
33 December 30 @ Portland W 122–116 Devin Booker (33) Deandre Ayton (12) Ricky Rubio (13) Moda Center
19,896
13–20
January : 7–8 (home: 3–5; road: 4–3)
Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location
Attendance
Record
34 January 1 @ L. A. Lakers L 107–117 Devin Booker (32) Deandre Ayton (14) Ricky Rubio (9) Staples Center
18,997
13–21
35 January 3 New York W 120–112 Devin Booker (38) Deandre Ayton (13) Ricky Rubio (10) Talking Stick Resort Arena
18,055
14–21
36 January 5 Memphis L 114–121 Devin Booker (40) Deandre Ayton (12) Ricky Rubio (8) Talking Stick Resort Arena
14,181
14–22
37 January 7 Sacramento L 103–114 Devin Booker (34) Deandre Ayton (9) Ricky Rubio (9) Talking Stick Resort Arena
14,134
14–23
38 January 10 Orlando W 98–94 Devin Booker (24) Deandre Ayton, Kelly Oubre Jr. (9) Ricky Rubio (10) Talking Stick Resort Arena
14,562
15–23
39 January 12 Charlotte W 100–92 Kelly Oubre Jr. (25) Kelly Oubre Jr. (15) Devin Booker, Ricky Rubio (9) Talking Stick Resort Arena
14,751
16–23
40 January 14 @ Atlanta L 110–123 Devin Booker (39) Deandre Ayton (10) Mikal Bridges (4) State Farm Arena
16,060
16–24
41 January 16 @ New York W 121–98 Devin Booker (29) Deandre Ayton (21) Ricky Rubio (13) Madison Square Garden
18,215
17–24
42 January 18 @ Boston W 123–119 Devin Booker (39) Deandre Ayton (15) Devin Booker, Ricky Rubio (9) TD Garden
19,156
18–24
43 January 20 San Antonio L 118–120 Devin Booker (37) Deandre Ayton (12) Ricky Rubio (9) Talking Stick Resort Arena
14,847
18–25
44 January 22 Indiana L 87–112 Kelly Oubre Jr. (17) Kelly Oubre Jr. (9) Devin Booker, Ricky Rubio, Élie Okobo (3) Talking Stick Resort Arena
14,691
18–26
45 January 24 @ San Antonio W 103–99 Devin Booker (35) Deandre Ayton (11) Devin Booker (10) AT&T Center
18,354
19–26
46 January 26 @ Memphis L 109–114 Devin Booker (36) Deandre Ayton (15) Devin Booker (5) FedExForum
17,214
19–27
47 January 28 @ Dallas W 133–104 Devin Booker (32) Deandre Ayton (9) Devin Booker (9) American Airlines Center
20,216
20–27
48 January 31 Oklahoma City L 107–111 Devin Booker, Kelly Oubre Jr. (27) Kelly Oubre Jr. (11) Ricky Rubio (7) Talking Stick Resort Arena
17,260
20–28
February : 4–9 (home: 2–4; road: 2–5)
Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location
Attendance
Record
49 February 2 @ Milwaukee L 108–129 Devin Booker (32) Deandre Ayton (14) Devin Booker (6) Fiserv Forum
17,754
20–29
50 February 3 @ Brooklyn L 97–119 Deandre Ayton (25) Deandre Ayton (17) Deandre Ayton, Élie Okobo (5) Barclays Center
14,891
20–30
51 February 5 @ Detroit L 108–116 Kelly Oubre Jr. (30) Deandre Ayton (12) Ricky Rubio (11) Little Caesars Arena
13,707
20–31
52 February 7 Houston W 127–91 Kelly Oubre Jr. (39) Devin Booker, Kelly Oubre Jr. (9) Ricky Rubio (10) Talking Stick Resort Arena
17,043
21–31
53 February 8 Denver L 108–117 Deandre Ayton (28) Deandre Ayton (19) Devin Booker (9) Talking Stick Resort Arena
16,843
21–32
54 February 10 @ L. A. Lakers L 100–125 Mikal Bridges (18) Mikal Bridges (6) Devin Booker, Ricky Rubio (5) Staples Center
18,997
21–33
55 February 12 Golden State W 112–106 Devin Booker (27) Cheick Diallo (8) Ricky Rubio (9) Talking Stick Resort Arena
15,216
22–33
All-Star Break
56 February 21 @ Toronto L 101–118 Devin Booker (21) Deandre Ayton (10) Ricky Rubio (9) Scotiabank Arena
19,800
22–34
57 February 22 @ Chicago W 112–104 Devin Booker (29) Deandre Ayton (19) Ricky Rubio (11) United Center
20,506
23–34
58 February 24 @ Utah W 131–111 Devin Booker (24) Aron Baynes (8) Ricky Rubio (11) Vivint Smart Home Arena
18,306
24–34
59 February 26 L. A. Clippers L 92–102 Deandre Ayton (25) Deandre Ayton (17) Devin Booker, Ricky Rubio (10) Talking Stick Resort Arena
15,157
24–35
60 February 28 Detroit L 111–113 Devin Booker (26) Deandre Ayton (10) Ricky Rubio (13) Talking Stick Resort Arena
17,142
24–36
61 February 29 Golden State L 99–115 Devin Booker (21) Deandre Ayton, Dario Šarić (9) Ricky Rubio (8) Talking Stick Resort Arena
16,395
24–37
March : 2–2 (home: 2–1; road: 0–1)
Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location
Attendance
Record
62 March 3 Toronto L 114–123 Devin Booker (22) Deandre Ayton (14) Devin Booker, Ricky Rubio (10) Talking Stick Resort Arena
15,553
24–38
63 March 6 Portland W 127–117 Aron Baynes (37) Aron Baynes (16) Devin Booker (12) Talking Stick Resort Arena
15,522
25–38
64 March 8 Milwaukee W 140–131 Devin Booker (36) Ricky Rubio (13) Ricky Rubio (13) Talking Stick Resort Arena
17,282
26–38
65 March 10 @ Portland L 105–121 Devin Booker (29) Dario Šarić (11) Devin Booker, Ricky Rubio (9) Moda Center
19,393
26–39
Seeding games: 8–0 (home: 4–0; road: 4–0)
Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location
Attendance
Record
66 July 31 @ Washington W 125–112 Devin Booker (27) Deandre Ayton (12) Ricky Rubio (9) Visa Athletic Center
No In-Person Attendance
27–39
67 August 2 Dallas W 117–115 Devin Booker (32) Cameron Johnson (12) Ricky Rubio (7) Visa Athletic Center
No In-Person Attendance
28–39
68 August 4 @ L. A. Clippers W 117–115 Devin Booker (35) Dario Šarić (8) Devin Booker (8) AdventHealth Arena
No In-Person Attendance
29–39
69 August 6 Indiana W 114–99 Deandre Ayton (23) Cameron Johnson (12) Devin Booker (10) Visa Athletic Center
No In-Person Attendance
30–39
70 August 8 @ Miami W 119–112 Devin Booker (35) Deandre Ayton (12) Ricky Rubio (8) Visa Athletic Center
No In-Person Attendance
31–39
71 August 10 Oklahoma City W 128–101 Devin Booker (35) Dario Šarić (9) Ricky Rubio (9) HP Field House
No In-Person Attendance
32–39
72 August 11 @ Philadelphia W 130–117 Devin Booker (35) Deandre Ayton (12) Ricky Rubio (10) Visa Athletic Center
No In-Person Attendance
33–39
73 August 13 Dallas W 128–102 Devin Booker (27) Deandre Ayton (9) Ricky Rubio (12) AdventHealth Arena
No In-Person Attendance
34–39
Cancelled games
Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location
Attendance
Record
66 March 14 @ Dallas American Airlines Center
67 March 18 Minnesota Talking Stick Resort Arena
68 March 20 @ L.A. Clippers Staples Center
69 March 21 Dallas Talking Stick Resort Arena
70 March 23 @ Indiana Bankers Life Fieldhouse
71 March 25 @ Washington Capital One Arena
72 March 27 @ Philadelphia Wells Fargo Center
73 March 28 @ Miami AmericanAirlines Arena
74 March 30 @ Cleveland Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse
75 April 1 @ Oklahoma City Chesapeake Energy Arena
76 April 3 Cleveland Talking Stick Resort Arena
77 April 5 Chicago Talking Stick Resort Arena
78 April 7 @ Minnesota Target Center
79 April 9 @ New Orleans Smoothie King Center
80 April 11 Utah Talking Stick Resort Arena
81 April 13 @ Houston Toyota Center
82 April 15 L.A. Lakers Talking Stick Resort Arena
2019–20 season schedule

Standings

[edit]
Pacific DivisionWLPCTGBHomeRoadDivGP
cLos Angeles Lakers5219.73225‍–‍1027‍–‍910–371
xLos Angeles Clippers4923.6813.527‍–‍922‍–‍148–672
Phoenix Suns3439.46619.017‍–‍2217‍–‍176–973
Sacramento Kings3141.43121.516‍–‍1915‍–‍228–572
Golden State Warriors1550.23134.08‍–‍267‍–‍242–1165
Western Conference
#TeamWLPCTGBGP
1cLos Angeles Lakers *5219.73271
2xLos Angeles Clippers4923.6813.572
3yDenver Nuggets *4627.6307.073
4yHouston Rockets *4428.6118.572
5xOklahoma City Thunder4428.6118.572
6xUtah Jazz4428.6118.572
7xDallas Mavericks4332.57311.075
8xPortland Trail Blazers3539.47318.574
9piMemphis Grizzlies3439.46619.073
10Phoenix Suns3439.46619.073
11San Antonio Spurs3239.45120.071
12Sacramento Kings3141.43121.572
13New Orleans Pelicans3042.41722.572
14Minnesota Timberwolves1945.29729.564
15Golden State Warriors1550.23134.065

Player statistics

[edit]

Before season suspension

[edit]
Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field-goal percentage  3P%  3-point field-goal percentage  FT%  Free-throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game
Phoenix Suns statistics
Player GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
Deandre Ayton 30 25 33.2 .548 .000 .769 12.0 1.9 0.7 1.7 19.0
Aron Baynes 42 28 22.2 .480 .351 .747 5.6 1.6 0.2 0.5 11.5
Jonah Bolden* 3 0 11.0 .250 .000 1.000 2.7 0.0 0.7 0.7 2.0
Devin Booker 62 62 36.1 .487 .360 .916 4.2 6.6 0.7 0.3 26.1
Mikal Bridges 65 24 27.3 .516 .352 .848 4.0 1.8 1.4 0.6 8.7
Jevon Carter 50 2 15.1 .400 .393 .840 2.0 1.3 0.8 0.3 4.6
Cheick Diallo 44 2 10.6 .650 .500 .865 2.9 0.5 0.2 0.3 4.8
Jared Harper 3 0 2.7 .250 .000 .000 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.7
Ty Jerome 28 0 11.3 .349 .277 .786 1.5 1.5 0.5 0.1 3.5
Cameron Johnson 49 1 20.3 .418 .397 .761 2.9 1.1 0.6 0.3 8.1
Tyler Johnson* 31 3 16.6 .380 .389 .750 1.7 1.6 0.4 0.3 5.7
Frank Kaminsky 32 13 22.4 .455 .348 .670 4.9 2.2 0.4 0.3 11.0
Jalen Lecque 4 0 6.5 .400 .000 1.000 0.0 0.5 0.0 0.0 2.5
Élie Okobo 54 3 13.1 .398 .352 .687 1.6 2.1 0.4 0.1 4.0
Kelly Oubre Jr. 56 55 34.5 .452 .352 .780 6.4 1.5 1.3 0.7 18.7
Tariq Owens 3 0 5.0 .200 .000 1.000 1.0 0.0 0.3 0.0 1.3
Ricky Rubio 57 57 31.6 .412 .351 .853 4.6 8.9 1.5 0.2 13.1
Dario Šarić 58 50 24.8 .462 .341 .832 5.9 1.9 0.6 0.3 10.1

* – Stats with the Suns.

After season suspension

[edit]
Phoenix Suns statistics
Player GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
Deandre Ayton 38 32 32.5 .546 .231 .753 11.5 1.9 0.7 1.5 18.2
Aron Baynes 42 28 22.2 .480 .351 .747 5.6 1.6 0.2 0.5 11.5
Jonah Bolden* 3 0 11.0 .250 .000 1.000 2.7 0.0 0.7 0.7 2.0
Devin Booker 70 70 35.9 .489 .354 .919 4.2 6.5 0.7 0.3 26.6
Mikal Bridges 73 32 28.0 .510 .361 .844 4.0 1.8 1.4 0.6 9.1
Jevon Carter 58 2 16.3 .416 .425 .852 2.0 1.4 0.8 0.3 4.9
Cheick Diallo 47 2 10.2 .648 .333 .872 2.8 0.5 0.2 0.3 4.7
Jared Harper 3 0 2.7 .250 .000 .000 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.7
Ty Jerome 31 0 10.6 .336 .280 .750 1.5 1.4 0.5 0.1 3.3
Cameron Johnson 57 9 22.0 .435 .390 .807 3.3 1.2 0.6 0.4 8.8
Tyler Johnson* 31 3 16.6 .380 .389 .750 1.7 1.6 0.4 0.3 5.7
Frank Kaminsky 39 13 19.9 .450 .331 .678 4.5 1.9 0.4 0.3 9.7
Jalen Lecque 5 0 6.3 .400 .000 1.000 0.4 0.4 0.0 0.0 2.0
Élie Okobo 55 3 13.1 .398 .352 .704 1.6 2.1 0.4 0.1 4.0
Kelly Oubre Jr. 56 55 34.5 .452 .352 .780 6.4 1.5 1.3 0.7 18.7
Tariq Owens 3 0 5.0 .200 .000 1.000 1.0 0.0 0.3 0.0 1.3
Cameron Payne** 8 0 22.9 .485 .517 .857 3.9 3.0 1.0 0.3 10.9
Ricky Rubio 65 65 31.0 .415 .361 .863 4.7 8.8 1.4 0.2 13.0
Dario Šarić 66 51 24.7 .476 .357 .844 6.2 1.9 0.6 0.2 10.7

** – Joined team for their resumed season in the 2020 NBA Bubble.

Awards and records

[edit]

Awards

[edit]

Week/Month

[edit]

All-Star

[edit]
  • On January 30, 2020, Deandre Ayton was once again named a member of the World Team for the Rising Stars Challenge. However, due to a left ankle injury sustained on February 10, he abstained from playing in the event, being replaced by Nicolò Melli.[82]
  • On February 13, 2020, Devin Booker was named an All-Star for the first time in his career, replacing Damian Lillard for both the Three-Point Contest and the 2020 NBA All-Star Game as a member for Team LeBron.[83]
    • Booker became the runner-up in the Three-Point Contest for 2020, coming behind Buddy Hield by tying him in the first round, but losing to him by one point in the final round. He also put up six points, four rebounds, and a block coming off the bench with 19 minutes played in Team LeBron's 157–155 win over Team Giannis.

Records

[edit]
  • From December 28, 2019, until January 7, 2020, Devin Booker joined James Harden, Russell Westbrook, LeBron James, and Tracy McGrady as the only players to put up 30+ points and 6+ assists in six straight games, dating back to the 1983–84 NBA season. He also became the only player to shoot at least 47% in each of those games.[84]
  • On January 28, 2020, Devin Booker became the youngest (shooting) guard to reach 7,000, breaking a record previously set by Kobe Bryant.[85]
  • On March 6, 2020, Aron Baynes became only the second player in league history to score 35+ points with 9 three-pointers made and grab 15+ rebounds in a single game, with the first player being James Harden.[86]
  • By the end of the regular season in August, this season's Suns team broke the 1989–90 Boston Celtics' record for highest free-throw percentage in a season at over 83.2% efficiency by shooting their free-throws at an 83.4% efficiency rate.[87][88] However, the record can be considered one with an asterisk on it due to it not being completed under a full, 82 game schedule via the COVID-19 pandemic.

Team records

[edit]
  • On October 12, 2019, the Suns set a preseason record for most three-pointers made in a single game with 24 made in a win over the Portland Trail Blazers.[89]
  • On October 23, 2019, Ricky Rubio tied Elliot Perry as the only players to put up 11 assists in their Suns debut games.[90]
  • The 43–14 first quarter the Suns scored for a 29-point lead against the Golden State Warriors on October 30, 2019, became the team's largest lead by the end of a first quarter in franchise history, beating the 24-point lead held against the Utah Jazz back on January 5, 1994.[91]
  • On November 5, 2019, Devin Booker became the first player in franchise history to score at least fifteen field goals and 3 three-pointers while making 75% or more of his shot attempts in both areas.[9]
  • Throughout the team's first seven games of the season, the Suns scored 89 three-point field goals, breaking a team record set back in the 2009–10 season.[92]
  • From December 27, 2019, until January 7, 2020, Devin Booker set the franchise record of 7 consecutive 30+ point games, previously set (and then repeated) at 5 games by Charlie Scott and later tied by Charles Barkley.[93][84]
  • On February 8, 2020, Deandre Ayton became the quickest player in franchise history to reach 1,000 rebounds with 19 grabbed against the Denver Nuggets, getting to that mark in only 94 games played with Phoenix.[94]
  • On March 6, 2020, Aron Baynes tied former Suns players Quentin Richardson and Channing Frye for the franchise record of most three-pointers made in a single game.[95]
  • On August 6, 2020, Devin Booker became the quickest player in franchise history to reach 200 20-point games for the Suns, reaching that amount in 338 total games played with Phoenix. He reached the 20-point barrier with a three-point play at 4:32 in the fourth quarter in a 114–99 win against the Indiana Pacers as the home team.[96][97] He also became the sixth youngest player in league history to reach that mark and the fastest Suns player to get 200 20+ point games.[98][99]
  • On August 8, 2020, Cameron Johnson broke a record previously set by Wesley Person for the fastest player to reach 100 three-pointers made in franchise history. He would score a three-pointer in the first quarter that day before ending the night with one more for 101 three-pointers this season in a 119–112 win over the Miami Heat as the road team, breaking Wesley Person's record of 72 games in only 54 games played.[96][100]
  • On August 10, 2020, Devin Booker tied a record previously set by Walter Davis for the most games of 30+ points scored for the Suns with 35 points in a blowout 128–101 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder as the home team.[101]
    • A day later, Devin Booker broke the record with another 35-point romp for a 130–117 win over the Philadelphia 76ers as the road team.[102]
  • At the end of the season on August 13, Cameron Johnson held the overall pace to become the franchise's record holder for most three-pointers made in their rookie season with 106 total in the shortened season, being on pace to break Wesley Person's record of 116 there properly had the season not been interrupted.

Milestones

[edit]

Team milestones

[edit]
  • On November 2, 2019, Devin Booker surpassed former teammate Jared Dudley to be the seventh-highest scoring three-point shooter in franchise history with three three-point field goals made in a win over the Memphis Grizzlies.
  • Devin Booker became the 17th player in franchise history to score over 6,000 points for the Suns, scoring 40 points in a win over the Philadelphia 76ers on November 5, 2019.[9]
    • Booker then surpassed Neal Walk to become the 16th highest scoring player in franchise history the next game three days later with 22 points scored in a loss to the Miami Heat.
  • On December 7, 2019, Devin Booker surpassed Hall of Famer and Phoenix Suns Ring of Honor member Connie Hawkins to become the 15th highest scoring player in franchise history with 35 points scored in a loss to the Houston Rockets.[104]
  • Devin Booker later surpassed his (first) rookie season head coach, Jeff Hornacek, on the scoring list only four days later with 15 points scored to then become the 14th highest scorer in franchise history in a loss to the Memphis Grizzlies.[105]
  • On December 21, 2019, Devin Booker surpassed his one-time former teammate, Leandro Barbosa, to become the 13th highest scoring player in franchise history with 19 points scored in a loss to the Houston Rockets.[106]
  • On December 30, 2019, Devin Booker surpassed Hall of Famer and Phoenix Suns Ring of Honor member Charles Barkley with 33 points scored in a 122–116 win over the Portland Trail Blazers to become the 12th highest scoring player in franchise history.[107]
  • On January 10, 2020, Devin Booker tied former power forward/center Channing Frye as the sixth-highest three-point shooter in franchise history with four three-point field goals made in a win over the Orlando Magic.
    • Booker then surpassed Frye in the next game just two days later with one made in a win over the Charlotte Hornets.
  • Devin Booker became the 12th player in franchise history to score at least 7,000 points for the Phoenix Suns, reaching that point with 32 points (20 scored in the third quarter) in a 133–104 blowout win over the Dallas Mavericks on January 28, 2020.[85]
  • On February 7, 2020, Devin Booker surpassed former shooting guard Raja Bell with four three-point shots made in a blowout win over the Houston Rockets to become the fifth-best three-point shooter in franchise history.
  • On March 8, 2020, Devin Booker not only tied Amar'e Stoudemire with the second-most 30+ point games in the franchise at 86 behind only Walter Davis at 90, but he also tied former forward Shawn Marion for being the team's fourth-best three-point shooter in a 140–131 win over the Milwaukee Bucks.
    • He later surpassed Shawn Marion by the end of their last originally scheduled NBA game played with two three-pointers made two days later against the Portland Trail Blazers, their last game before this season's suspension began.
    • On August 2, 2020, Devin Booker reached 87 games of 30+ points with the Suns against the Dallas Mavericks in Orlando, being the official second-highest player in franchise history to score 30+ points in games with Phoenix. That night, he scored 32 before being fouled out of the game in a close 117–115 win over Dallas as the home team.[108]
  • On August 4, 2020, Devin Booker tied Walter Davis for the most buzzer-beating, game-winning shots in franchise history with a buzzer-beating two-pointer over both Paul George and Kawhi Leonard in their close 117–115 win over the Los Angeles Clippers as the road team.[109]
  • On August 10, 2020, Devin Booker tied Walter Davis for the most 30+ point games with Phoenix, having 90 games with that amount scored (also reaching it with a near half-court three-pointer early in the third quarter) in a blowout 128–101 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder as the home team.[101]
    • Booker later broke Walter Davis' record for the most 30+ point games with the Suns a day later, scoring 35 points in a 130–117 win over the Philadelphia 76ers as the road team.[102]

Transactions

[edit]

Trades

[edit]
July 6, 2019[29][110] Three–team trade
To Indiana Pacers
United States T. J. Warren (from Phoenix)
2022 second-round pick (from Miami)
2025 second-round pick (from Miami)
2026 second-round pick (from Miami)
To Miami Heat

Draft rights to #32 pick United States KZ Okpala (from Phoenix)

To Phoenix Suns

Cash Considerations (from Indiana)

July 6, 2019[30] To Phoenix Suns
Croatia Dario Šarić
Draft rights to #11 pick United States Cameron Johnson
To Minnesota Timberwolves

Draft rights to #6 pick United States Jarrett Culver

July 6, 2019[31] To Phoenix Suns
New Zealand/Australia Aron Baynes
Draft rights to #24 pick United States Ty Jerome (from Philadelphia via Boston)
To Boston Celtics

2020 protected first-round pick (from Milwaukee via Phoenix)

July 7, 2019[38] To Phoenix Suns
United States Jevon Carter
United States Kyle Korver
To Memphis Grizzlies
United States Josh Jackson
United States De'Anthony Melton
2020 second-round pick
2021 protected second-round pick[I]

^ I: Memphis would only get Phoenix's 2021 second-round pick if their selection went inside the Top-35. However, that pick went to the Brooklyn Nets instead due to the protections of a previous trade involving the selection, with the Suns' second-round pick being above their top-35 protection area.

Free agents

[edit]

Re-Signed

[edit]
Player Signed Date
Kelly Oubre Jr.[42] Signed 2-year deal worth $30 million July 16, 2019

Additions

[edit]
Player Signed Former team(s)
Jalen Lecque[40] Signed 4-year partially guaranteed deal worth $6,129,593[a] Brewster Academy Bobcats
Ricky Rubio[36] Signed 3-year deal worth $51,000,000 Utah Jazz
Frank Kaminsky III[37] Signed 2-year partially guaranteed deal worth $10,000,000[b] Charlotte Hornets
Cheick Diallo[43] Signed 2-year partially guaranteed deal worth $3,500,000[b] New Orleans Pelicans
Jared Harper[44][50] Signed two-way contract worth at least $79,568[111][112][c] Auburn Tigers
Tariq Owens[56][57] Signed Exhibit 10 / two-way contract worth at least $50,000[d] Texas Tech Red Raiders / Northern Arizona Suns[e]
Jonah Bolden[58] Signed a 10-day contract worth $81,677[f] Philadelphia 76ers
Cameron Payne[63] Signed 2-year partially guaranteed deal worth $2,173,299[g] Canada Toronto Raptors / China Shanxi Guotou Loongs / Texas Legends[h]

^ a: Jalen Lecque's first two seasons with the team were fully guaranteed, but the third year is only partially guaranteed and his fourth year is non-guaranteed.
^ b: Both Frank Kaminsky and Cheick Diallo held deals that were only fully guaranteed if their respective team options were approved by next season.
^ c: Players that signed a two-way contract this season received the minimum of $79,568 throughout the duration of this season, with the maximum amount of potential earned revenue being $410,706 this season.
^ d: Tariq Owens originally signed a training camp deal on September 27, 2019 for a shot at competing for an open two-way contract. However, because he failed to get that contract during training camp and later signed up for that contract on the original last possible day two-way contracts could be signed with any NBA teams for the regular season, his guaranteed salary from the contract was cut from the standard two-way contract rate to the minimum salary of at least $50,000 for the year 2020 as a part of the Exhibit 10 clause.[111]
^ e: Tariq Owens previously signed with the Phoenix Suns as an undrafted free agent from Texas Tech University during their original training camp period for the season on September 27, 2019 before being waived by the end of the preseason. He then joined the NBA G League affiliate Northern Arizona Suns by November 8, 2019 before rejoining Phoenix as the team's second two-way contract for the rest of the (initial) regular season on January 15, 2020.
^ f: Jonah Bolden originally signed with Phoenix on February 12, 2020, a few days before the 2020 NBA All-Star Weekend. Because the length didn't originally extend into the required games necessary for the contract's length, Bolden stayed with the team for an extra day under this signing.
^ g: Because Cameron Payne signed with the Suns during the brief period of June 22-July 1, 2020, Payne only received a total of $196,288 for the rest of this season before potentially getting a proper salary of $1,977,011 for the next season, equalling his veteran's minimum salary available for the resumed season and upcoming next season.
^ h: Cameron Payne initially signed with the defending champion Toronto Raptors on July 25, 2019, but he did not make it to their regular season roster on October 19 after being dismissed from training camp. After being cut from the team, Payne then signed a deal with the Shanxi Guotou Loongs in China, though he was waived by Shanxi on January 2, 2020 after only playing a couple of games for them. Because he was waived by Shanxi before the COVID-19 pandemic struck internationally from China to the United States, Payne was cleared to play for the Texas Legends during this season on January 25, where he played for them until the suspension and eventual cancellation of the 2019–20 NBA G League season. Because he last played for the NBA G League and not China, Payne was eligible to sign with Phoenix for the rest of this season, as well as for all of their next season on June 30, 2020, though he'll only earn $25,000 initially for that next season.

Subtractions

[edit]
Player Reason left New team(s)
Jimmer Fredette[34] Waived Greece Panathinaikos B.C. OPAP[i]
Ray Spalding[48] Waived Atlanta Hawks / Houston Rockets / Rio Grande Valley Vipers / Charlotte Hornets / Greensboro Swarm[j]
George King[45] Two-way contract expired Italy Dolomiti Energia Trento / Poland Stelmet Enea BC Zielona Góra[k]
Troy Daniels[113] Unrestricted free agent Los Angeles Lakers / Denver Nuggets[l]
Richaun Holmes[114] Unrestricted free agent Sacramento Kings
Josh Jackson
De'Anthony Melton[38]
Traded Memphis Grizzlies / Memphis Hustle[m]
Kyle Korver[39][115] Waived Milwaukee Bucks
Dragan Bender[47] Unrestricted free agent Milwaukee Bucks / Wisconsin Herd / Golden State Warriors[n]
Jamal Crawford[49] Unrestricted free agent Brooklyn Nets[o]
Tyler Johnson[116] Waived Brooklyn Nets[p]
Jonah Bolden[117] 10-day contract expired Australia Sydney Kings[q]
Jared Harper[118] Waived two-way contract[r] New York Knicks / Westchester Knicks[s]

^ i: Jimmer Fredette would play with the Golden State Warriors in the 2019 NBA Summer League and Team Fredette for The Basketball Tournament 2019 before signing for the Panathinaikos B.C. OPAP in Greece for the rest of the season on July 15, 2019. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the resulting seasons in both Greece and the EuroLeague were cut short and eventually canceled altogether, with no chances to return to the NBA this season being available for him.
^ j: Ray Spalding signed a deal with the Atlanta Hawks after the end of the 2019 NBA Summer League on July 31, 2019. However, Spalding would only play in their training camp and preseason before being waived on October 8, 2019. He then signed with the Houston Rockets for their preseason on October 10, 2019 before being waived nine days later on October 19. After that point, he joined Houston's NBA G League affiliate team, the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, on November 8 before signing a two-way contract with the Charlotte Hornets on January 15, 2020. During that period, he played only for the Greensboro Swarm, as he did not have the chance to play for the Hornets properly this season due to the 2019–20 NBA season suspension ending Charlotte's season prematurely. However, he would play in inter-squad scrimmage games set up by the NBA in late September and early October 2020, though he ended up getting waived by November 2020, never having the chance to play for the Hornets properly.
^ k: George King originally played with the Utah Jazz before signing a deal to play with the Dolomiti Energia Trento in Italy on July 21, 2019. He then played with the Stelmet Enea BC Zielona Góra in Poland on January 17, 2020, though neither team would finish their respective seasons due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Furthermore, King would not be granted permission to return to the NBA this season as a result of playing overseas during the pandemic.
^ l: Troy Daniels originally signed a one-year deal with the Los Angeles Lakers on July 7, 2019. However, Daniels was later waived by the Lakers on March 1, 2020, the original last possible day a player could be waived and still compete for the 2020 NBA Playoffs with another team. He was then claimed off waivers by the Denver Nuggets four days later on March 5, even playing a game for Denver before the 2019–20 NBA season suspension took place. However, they would recover to play for more games in Orlando for the rest of the regular season and playoffs afterward, including being involved in the 2020 Western Conference Finals against the eventual champion Lakers.
^ m: Both Josh Jackson and De'Anthony Melton were traded to the Memphis Grizzlies on July 7, 2019. However, both Jackson and Melton also spent time with the Grizzlies' NBA G League affiliate, the Memphis Hustle, during this season.
^ n: Dragan Bender originally received a deal with the Milwaukee Bucks on July 25, 2019 and signed with them five days later. However, Bender spent most of his season with the Wisconsin Herd, albeit with him also playing a few games with the Bucks before being waived by Milwaukee (with guaranteed money) on February 10, 2020. He then signed a 10-day contract with the Golden State Warriors on February 23, impressing them enough to earn a second 10-day contract on March 5. However, Bender's second 10-day contract ended in limbo due to this season's suspension, which led to the season's early closure for Golden State with the worst record in the league this season. Furthermore, because the contract ended prematurely thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic, he could not return with the Warriors after that contract expired by the season's return, even if the Warriors wanted to with their inter-squad scrimmages in late September and early October. He eventually signed a deal with Maccabi Tel Aviv to return with them in Israel on September 23, with an out-clause to return to the NBA if he improves well enough there.
^ o: Jamal Crawford did not receive any opportunities to play anywhere either in the NBA or overseas during the original regular season. However, he did receive a substitute player’s option with the Brooklyn Nets for the rest of the season in the 2020 NBA Bubble on July 9, 2020 despite it being after the brief signing period of June 22-July 1, 2020 where he was considered the most eligible to sign a new contract for the season. Crawford was replacing guard Spencer Dinwiddie, who caught the COVID-19 virus back in June and was not recommended to travel with the team, during the Nets' time in Orlando, Florida. He also became the eighth player to play in at least 20 seasons with his brief stint for the Nets, albeit playing in one game before being injured and eventually retiring from play altogether in the Bubble.
^ p: Tyler Johnson did not sign with a new team before the suspension of this season. However, Johnson received a new deal with the Brooklyn Nets on June 24, 2020, replacing Theo Pinson's position during the NBA's brief period of making new moves for the return of this season and later being reunited with former teammate Jamal Crawford during the Nets' stay in Orlando this season. Furthermore, Johnson was eligible to play in the 2020 NBA Playoffs since he was waived after the trade deadline in February.
^ q: Due to the 2019–20 NBA season suspension, Jonah Bolden had the potential to receive a new deal by any one of the 22 NBA teams competing in this season's resumption period in the event he was called up as a replacement player for a team during the regular season and/or playoffs if a player was infected with COVID-19. However, due to the 2020 NBA Bubble working very effectively against the virus, to the point where none of the players or NBA staff that entered the Bubble once the resumed season truly began did not catch COVID-19 there at all, none of the teams competing in Orlando ended up opening a spot up for Bolden either during this season or in these playoffs. After that point, Bolden initially retired from basketball early altogether at 25 years old in order to pursue a career with cryptocurrency in mind. However, he later unretired himself from the sport on June 19, 2023 by signing a deal with the Sydney Kings in Australia.
^ r: Jared Harper was initially waived by the Phoenix Suns on March 12, 2020 during the season's suspension, noting the eventual cancellation of the 2019–20 NBA G League season as a reason for waiving him, though his waiver was not regarded as official by the NBA until June 23 later that year due to the announced move being made after the suspension of the season began.
^ s: Jared Harper's two-way contract was claimed by the New York Knicks before reaching the Bubble's free agency period on June 25, 2020, thus letting them keep the previous two-way lease the Suns had on him while also waiving Kadeem Allen's two-way contract in the process. However, because the Knicks were one of eight teams to not resume their season after the 2019–20 NBA season suspension ended, Harper did not play with them for this season, though he did at least compete in inter-squad scrimmage games set in late September and early October with these games including players from both the New York team and some Westchester Knicks players that were selected for these training games there. Harper later signed a new two-way contract on November 25, 2020, which let him play for both the Knicks in New York and Westchester during the following season.

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[edit]
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