Suns face low expectations as team reboots after Big 3 era

• The blockbuster trade that brought Durant to the Suns in 2023 was followed by disappointment, which reached a nadir last season as they missed the playoffs and posted a losing record.

State of play: In return for Durant, the Suns received high-scoring guard Jalen Green, who averaged more than 21 points per game last season, and small forward Dillon Brooks, a top-tier perimeter defender.

• The trade also got Phoenix the No. 10 in the NBA draft, where they selected 7-2 Duke center Khaman Maluach.
• And there's a new face on the sidelines after the team fired Mike Budenholzer after one season — the third head coach in three years — and hired Cleveland Cavaliers assistant Jordan Ott to replace him.

Zoom in: The Suns are Booker's team in a way they've never been before, and with so many young players on the roster, it'll be his job to lead.

• "I have unfinished business here," Booker, the Suns' all-time leading scorer, said this week about the franchise's lack of an NBA championship.
• The Suns are younger and out to build a tougher, more physical identity this season, per The Arizona Republic.

• With the addition of center Nick Williams and Maluach, they'll also be an unusually big team.

Reality check: Defense remains a major pain point; the team lacks a true starting point guard; and with youth comes inexperience.

The bottom line: Expectations are pretty low for the Suns this year. Most preseason predictions have them finishing near the bottom of the Western Conference.

• It seems unlikely that the Suns will seriously compete for the play-in spot for the postseason.

Yes, but: The team could improve on last year's dismal 36-win performance and has room to grow.

What's next: The Suns open the season at home tonight against the Sacramento Kings.

• Green will miss the start of the season with a hamstring injury.