Topic summary
2025–26 Phoenix Suns season
The 2025–26 Phoenix Suns season was the 58th season of the franchise in the National Basketball Association (NBA), as well as their 33rd season at the Mortgage Matchup Center. It is also their third full season under the ownership group led by Mat Ishbia and Justin Ishbia after the brothers purchased the team on February 8, 2023. This is the first time since the 2021–22 season that the Suns did not play on Christmas Day.
On April 14, 2025, just a day after their disappointing season ended, the Suns fired head coach, Mike Budenholzer after only one year with the team, despite his five-year, $50 million contract. This decision was made after the team's poor performance that previous season. On May 1, the Suns promoted Brian Gregory, formerly the vice president of player programming and veteran college basketball coach, to general manager. James Jones transitioned to a senior advisor role before being appointed as the NBA's Executive Vice President and Head of Basketball Operations on July 9, succeeding Joe Dumars. On June 6, Phoenix hired Cleveland Cavaliers assistant coach Jordan Ott as head coach, signing him to a four-year contract. On July 6, the Suns completed a record-breaking seven-team trade that sent Kevin Durant to the Houston Rockets and brought in Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks, the 10th overall pick in the 2025 NBA draft, Khaman Maluach, Rasheer Fleming, Koby Brea, and future second-round picks in 2026 and 2032 from Houston. On July 16, the Suns and Bradley Beal reached an agreement on a contract buyout, with the team applying the stretch provision to his remaining $90 million guaranteed salary.
Despite trading away Kevin Durant and waiving Bradley Beal (which led to many predictions on the team performing poorly this season), the Suns would end up exceeding these lower expectations held upon them this season. The Suns also qualified as a wildcard in the 2025 NBA Cup, clinching the spot over the Memphis Grizzlies via a higher point differential after both teams placed second in their respective groups with identical 3–1 group stage record, but were eliminated by the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Cup quarterfinals. With a 129–114 road victory on March 10, 2026 against the Milwaukee Bucks, Phoenix would exceed the win total they had from their previous season. Weeks later, on March 30, a 131–105 blowout victory over the Memphis Grizzlies on the road would see the Suns have an above-average season for the fourth time in the past five seasons. However, due in part to serious injury issues that happened back in February up until the end of the season, the Suns failed to avoid participating in the Play-In Tournament for this season despite their 45–37 for what could normally be considered a 7th place finish in the Western Conference.
Although they lost to the 8th-placed Portland Trail Blazers in the first stage of the play-in tournament, the Suns clinched a playoff berth for the first time since 2024 by defeating the Golden State Warriors in the elimination game of the NBA play-in tournament on April 17. They qualified as the 8th seed, but were swept by the defending champion top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder, who did so in the same round for the second time in three seasons.