| Team: | Phoenix Suns |
| End Year: | 2019 |
| Wins: | 19 |
| Losses: | 63 |
| Division: | Pacific |
| Division Place: | 5 |
| Conf Place: | 15 |
| Coach: | Igor Kokoškov |
| Gm: | Ryan McDonough (until Oct. 8) James Jones/Trevor Bukstein (interims) |
| Owners: | Robert Sarver |
| Arena: | Talking Stick Resort Arena |
| Television: | Fox Sports Arizona |
| Radio: | KTAR |
| Playoffs: | Did not qualify |
| Bbr Team: | PHO |
The 2018–19 Phoenix Suns season was the 51st season of the franchise in the National Basketball Association (NBA),[1] as well as their 26th season at the Talking Stick Resort Arena. They finished with 19 wins to 63 losses, the franchise's worst regular season record since the inaugural season 1968–69.
The Suns started the season with a new head coach, signing former assistant coach Igor Kokoškov to a three-year deal on May 2, 2018.[2] After winning the first overall pick in the 2018 NBA draft, the Suns picked Deandre Ayton, a Bahamian center from the University of Arizona. They also gained the draft rights of the tenth overall pick, Mikal Bridges, through a trade involving the Philadelphia 76ers, thus recovering the final pick they received from first trading Steve Nash to the Los Angeles Lakers back in 2012. During the 2018 NBA free agency period, the Suns also acquired some key players from the Houston Rockets the previous season with Trevor Ariza on July 1 and Ryan Anderson and rookie De'Anthony Melton nearly two months later on August 31. But after failing to sign a starting-caliber point guard during free agency,[3] general manager Ryan McDonough was fired before the regular season began on October 8. He was replaced by former Suns' player James Jones and Trevor Bukstein on an interim basis throughout the entire season; Jones was eventually named the permanent general manager after the end of this season, with Bukstein returning to his initial assistant general manager role going forward.
The Suns were the first team eliminated from playoff contention on February 23, missing the playoffs for the ninth straight season.
See main article: 2018 NBA draft.
| Round | Pick | Player | Position(s) | Nationality | College / Club | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Deandre Ayton | C | Arizona | ||
| 1 | 10 | Mikal Bridges | SF | Villanova | ||
| 2 | 31 | Élie Okobo | PG |  Élan Béarnais Pau-Lacq-Orthez | ||
| 2 | 59 | George King | SG | Colorado |
Entering the draft, the Suns had just two first-round picks and two second-round picks. Their first pick would be their own pick, which became their first ever number one pick in franchise history after 50 seasons. It came as a result of having the second-worst record in franchise history, with only their inaugural season being worse. The Suns were guaranteed just the Miami Heat's first-round pick this year due to a 2015 trade involving the brothers Dragić, with both Zoran and Goran Dragić being traded to Miami in a three-way trade including the New Orleans Pelicans in exchange for the rights to John Salmons, Danny Granger, the Heat's first-round pick this year, and Miami's completely unprotected 2021 first-round pick. Near the conclusion of the previous season, the Suns had a chance to also receive the Milwaukee Bucks' first-round pick as well, as that was projected to be included alongside Greg Monroe and a second-round pick in order to offload Eric Bledsoe, who no longer wanted to be with the Suns.[13] However, despite Miami winning more games against Milwaukee that season, the Suns would not gain Milwaukee's first-round pick this season. However, the Suns still retained the 16th pick from the Heat, alongside their 1st pick, up until draft night.
Phoenix was also projected to have the Los Angeles Lakers' first-round pick from the Steve Nash trade of 2012, but the pick was traded to the Philadelphia 76ers to acquire Brandon Knight in 2015. The Suns regained that selection on draft night in exchange for the Miami Heat's first round selections that were previously acquired. In the second round, the Suns traded their own pick to the Memphis Grizzlies in exchange for Troy Daniels and what would be the Charlotte Hornets' second-round pick, although their own pick was kept by Phoenix due to top 55 protections placed on their own second-round pick for the second year in a row. Phoenix also gained the penultimate pick to the draft, the Toronto Raptors' second-round pick this year, after also gaining last year's second-round pick and the rights to Jared Sullinger in exchange for them briefly acquiring P. J. Tucker. In other transactions around their projected second-round picks, the Hornets' second-round pick would be traded to the Orlando Magic in exchange for Elfrid Payton, and the Bucks' second-round pick would go to the Brooklyn Nets (via a separate trade) due to it being inside the top 47.
With the top pick of the 2018 NBA Draft, the Suns selected the Bahamian freshman center Deandre Ayton from the nearby University of Arizona. While he was reported to be the #1 pick for weeks before the draft,[14] Ayton competed with a few other players such as former high school teammate Marvin Bagley III, international superstar (and former player of new head coach Igor Kokoškov's) Luka Dončić, Jaren Jackson Jr., and Mohamed Bamba during those weeks. In his sole season playing (and starting) in 35 games for Arizona, Ayton averaged 20.1 points (on .612 overall percentage and .343 three-point percentages), 11.6 rebounds, 1.9 blocks, 1.6 assists, and 0.6 steals under 33.5 minutes per game while also being named a consensus All-American First Team, the Pac-12's Player of the Year, the Pac-12's Freshman of the Year, being a member of the All-Pac-12 First Team, winning the Pac-12 Tournament's Most Outstanding Player Award, and winning the Karl Malone Award for being considered the best power forward of the NCAA, even though he projects more as a center entering the NBA. Ayton became a standout player for the Suns almost immediately entering the season, being an immediate starter for the team and being the only rookie this season a double-double average for their rookie season, averaging 16.3 points and 10.3 rebounds throughout the season. He ended the season being a member of the NBA All-Rookie First Team, with Ayton being a key figure for the Suns' future going forward.
With the 16th selection, the Suns picked Texas Tech University's Zhaire Smith, but immediately traded Smith and the Miami Heat's 2021 first-round pick to the Philadelphia 76ers for the tenth overall pick (which actually was originally a part of their draft hoard from previous seasons back when it was known as a 2015 first-round pick from the Los Angeles Lakers), junior small forward Mikal Bridges from Villanova University.[15] Bridges was considered a key member for Villanova when they won the NCAA Championship in two of his three seasons there. As the starting small forward for all 40 games played the previous season, he averaged 17.7 points (on .514 overall percentage and a .435 three-point percentage), 5.3 rebounds, 1.9 assists, 1.5 steals, and 1.1 blocks under 32.2 minutes per game. In addition to being a two-time NCAA Tournament Champion in 2016 and 2018, Bridges also was named a consensus All-American Third Team member, an All-Big East First Team member, a Big East Tournament MVP, and the winner of the Julius Erving Award, all of which were earned in 2018. This marked the second season in three years where the Suns had two top ten picks in the draft, though this time, it was considered a massive success for them. Bridges also became a key player for future seasons as well for his defensive versatility, alongside his improved shooting during said seasons. The Suns also selected French All-Star point guard Élie Okobo of the Élan Béarnais Pau-Lacq-Orthez from France's LNB Pro A as the 31st pick and shooting guard George King from the University of Colorado Boulder with the penultimate 59th pick. Okobo was made part of the regular, 15-man roster, while King became one of the team's two-way contracts that season. Furthermore, they later traded for (and signed) another second-round pick in USC sophomore point guard De'Anthony Melton, the 46th pick of the NBA Draft, before the season began. Later in the season, the Suns signed Ray Spalding, the 56th pick of the NBA Draft selected from the University of Louisville, for the rest of the season, which left them with 6 total draft picks from this draft on their roster by the end of this season.
See main article: List of 2018–19 NBA season transactions. Before June 26, the only players that were confirmed free agents were Oleksiy "Alex" Len (unrestricted) and Elfrid Payton (restricted, but the Suns had declared to not use their right of first refusal on him). Former two-way contract players Alec Peters and Danuel House also had the option to enter free agency or stay for a second year under a two-way contract. House then signed to play for the Houston Rockets in the 2018 NBA Summer League, while Peters stuck with the team during the event. Tyler Ulis was waived from his contract on June 30 for the purpose of extra salary cap space. Two days later, the Suns waived Alan Williams' non-guaranteed deal and the exception rights on the two-way contracts of Alec Peters and Danuel House to create more salary cap space.
Near the start of free agency on July 1, the Suns agreed to terms with the now former Houston Rockets forward Trevor Ariza on a one-year deal worth $15,000,000, which was signed officially on July 6. Ariza was considered their top free agent priority that season.[16] Also on July 1, Suns' restricted free agent Elfrid Payton signed a one-year deal with the New Orleans Pelicans, his hometown team. On July 7, the Suns' star shooting guard Devin Booker agreed to a five-year maximum contract extension of around $158.3 million to remain with the team. It was the seventh-highest valued contract of the NBA at the time of its signing.[17] On July 20, they announced that they had retained both Davon Reed and Shaquille Harrison, and also completed two separate trades. Their first trade involved sending guard/forward Jared Dudley and their top-35 protected 2021 second-round pick to the Brooklyn Nets in exchange for power forward Darrell Arthur. Not long after the trade for Arthur, the Suns sent $1,000,000 in cash considerations to the Philadelphia 76ers in a trade for power forward/center Richaun Holmes. The next day, Oleksiy "Alex" Len signed a two-year deal with the Atlanta Hawks. Alec Peters then signed with PBC CSKA Moscow in Russia instead of retaining his two-way contract with the team. On July 25, their other former two-way contract, Danuel House Jr. signed a regular, one-year contract with the two-time defending champion Golden State Warriors. Alan Williams later signed a two-way contract with the Brooklyn Nets on September 19, and Tyler Ulis signed a training camp deal with the Golden State Warriors two days later.
On August 3, the Suns announced they had re-signed a point guard from the previous season, Isaiah Canaan. The team later announced his deal was a non-guaranteed training camp deal, but it marked a return to play after his previous season ended with an ankle fracture on January 31, 2018.[18] Before the month of August concluded, the Suns traded both projected starting point guard Brandon Knight and third-year power forward Marquese Chriss to the Houston Rockets in exchange for new starting power forward Ryan Anderson and rookie point guard De'Anthony Melton, who was previously drafted by Houston.[19] In order to make the trade work, Anderson agreed to cut back on his salary for next season to the same amount that Brandon Knight would have been paid; the Suns also sent a $2.6 million traded player exception to the Rockets. Melton signed a rookie deal with the Suns on September 21 after waiting on trying to have a potential point guard trade. On October 15, they waived point guard Shaquille Harrison and power forward Darrell Arthur, with the Suns failing to get a disabled player exception for Arthur's roster spot before season starting rosters had to be finalized.[20] Shooting guard Davon Reed was also waived the following day and replaced by veteran guard Jamal Crawford.[21]
On November 4, center Tyson Chandler agreed to a buyout with the Suns, later playing the rest of the season with the Los Angeles Lakers. On November 23, Isaiah Canaan agreed to leave the team via waiver, eventually playing briefly for the Milwaukee Bucks and Minnesota Timberwolves. On December 7, Phoenix signed Northern Arizona Suns guard Jawun Evans as their second two-way contract, though he would be waived on March 23, 2019 to later play for the Oklahoma City Thunder. Three days after that signing, Phoenix signed power forward/center Eric Moreland to a one-year deal, though they would waive him on January 3, 2019, after playing only one game with them, eventually signing with future NBA Finals champions, the Toronto Raptors. A week after that, the Suns agreed to trade their biggest free agent acquisition, Trevor Ariza to the Washington Wizards for small forward Kelly Oubre Jr. and point guard Austin Rivers (who got waived the next day). Initially, the Suns planned on having a three-way trade with the Wizards and Memphis Grizzlies for some different players in mind, but miscommunication involving the Suns and Grizzlies (specifically whether it was Dillon Brooks or MarShon Brooks that was going to be traded to Phoenix in the original deal) eventually led to the trade between just the Suns and Wizards instead.[22] In January 2019, the Suns started to sign 10-day contracts with various players. They first gave power forward Quincy Acy two 10-day contracts on January 7 and 17 before giving former Lincoln Memorial University power forward Emanuel Terry a 10-day contract on January 27. On the February 6 trade deadline, Phoenix traded away power forward Ryan Anderson to the Miami Heat for guards Tyler Johnson and Wayne Ellington, with the latter player also being waived the next day. Fourteen days after the trade, the Suns signed former Dallas Mavericks power forward Ray Spalding to a 10-day contract before getting a two-year, partially guaranteed deal on March 3. Finally, on March 22, the Suns signed guard Jimmer Fredette from China to a similar two-year, partially guaranteed deal to return to the NBA for the rest of the season to finish off their season.
In March 2018, the Suns confirmed they were searching for a permanent head coach, although interim head coach Jay Triano was also stated as a candidate.[23] The vice president of basketball operations at the time, James Jones, revealed that as many as 20 potential candidates were looked into for the head coach position between March and May 2018.[24] Some of their potential interests during this coaching search included former Suns and Utah Jazz assistant coach Igor Kokoškov, former Memphis Grizzlies head coach David Fizdale, European head coach David Blatt, then-current Atlanta Hawks head coach Mike Budenholzer, former Charlotte Hornets head coach Steve Clifford, former Orlando Magic head coach Frank Vogel, San Antonio Spurs assistant coach James Borrego, former Houston Rockets head coach Kevin McHale, Toronto Raptors assistant coaches Rex Kalamian and Nick Nurse, New Orleans Pelicans associate coach Chris Finch, and former Suns players Jason Kidd and Vinny Del Negro. On May 2, 2018, Triano was relieved of all of his coaching duties with the Suns as Kokoškov was announced to sign a three-year contract as Phoenix's newest head coach.[25]
On the same day the Suns relieved Jay Triano of his coaching duties, Phoenix also released assistant coach Tyrone Corbin[26] alongside most of the old coaching staff, including former Northern Arizona Suns coach Tyrone Ellis. Triano became an associate head coach for the Charlotte Hornets, while Corbin became an assistant coach for the Orlando Magic, and Marlon Garnett joined the Atlanta Hawks' coaching staff.[27] Former Orlando Magic assistant coach Corliss Williamson then joined Kokoškov's coaching staff in Phoenix.[28] Williamson was familiar with Kokoškov as he played when Kokoškov was an assistant coach during the Detroit Pistons' 2003–04 championship season. On June 4, former Milwaukee Bucks interim head coach Joe Prunty became the team's leading assistant head coach. A week later, Jason Staudt, an assistant coach under Kokoškov during his coaching tenure with the Georgia national basketball team, became an assistant coach for Phoenix, while former player Devin Smith became a player development coach.[29] On June 18, the Suns hired former Arizona State University point guard and New Orleans Pelicans assistant coach Jamelle McMillan as an assistant coach. On June 22, the Suns also promoted Northern Arizona Suns head coach Cody Toppert to the director of player development position in Phoenix.[30] [31] [32] On July 25, assistant coach Bret Burchard, one of the few Suns' coaches retained from the previous season, was named the head coach for the Northern Arizona Suns.[33] Former Northern Arizona Suns' head coach and Phoenix Suns assistant coach Tyrone Ellis also left the Suns organization to become the head coach of the Stockton Kings.[34]
During the preseason on October 8, 2018, owner Robert Sarver made the abrupt decision to fire general manager Ryan McDonough.[35] His decision was reflected upon the lack of a starting-caliber point guard being acquired by that point of the season. As a result, vice president of basketball operations James Jones and assistant general manager Trevor Bukstein were named the interim general managers for the rest of this season. Later that same day, the team also fired assistant general manager Pat Connelly, director of scouting Courtney Witte, director of international scouting Emilio Kovačić, and Northern Arizona Suns general manager Louis Lehman.[36]
| style= width="55%" | Player | style= width="55%" | 2018–19 Salary | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tyler Johnson | $19,245,370 | |||
| T. J. Warren | $11,750,000 | |||
| Deandre Ayton | $8,175,840 | |||
| Josh Jackson | $6,041,520 | |||
| Dragan Bender | $4,661,280 | |||
| Mikal Bridges | $3,557,400 | |||
| Devin Booker | $3,314,365 | |||
| Troy Daniels | $3,258,539 | |||
| Kelly Oubre Jr. | $3,208,630 | |||
| Jamal Crawford | $2,393,887 | |||
| Richuan Holmes | $1,600,520 | |||
| Élie Okobo | $1,238,464 | |||
| De'Anthony Melton | $949,000 | |||
| Jimmer Fredette | $198,579 | |||
| Ray Spalding | $184,746< | --Previously gained $838,464 with the Dallas Mavericks this season.--> | ||
| George King | $77,250 | |||
| style= width="50%" | Total | style= width="50%" align="right" | $68,745,390 |
The Suns were one of the six NBA teams announced to take part in a series of preseason contests with the National Basketball League and scheduled to play the New Zealand Breakers in Phoenix.[41] The official pre-season schedule was revealed on August 1 with their first game scheduled for October 1. This preseason period was also without Devin Booker, as he was recovering from pinkie surgery at the time, with the intent on returning before the regular season began. A week after the Suns started the pre-season, during which time they earned a 1–2 record, with their sole victory in a close game against the New Zealand Breakers, team owner Robert Sarver fired general manager Ryan McDonough and replaced them with both James Jones and Trevor Bukstein under interim general manager positions the morning of their penultimate preseason game against the Golden State Warriors. The team ended the preseason with a 2–3 record, with Jones and Bukstein both taking over and sharing general manager duties for the rest of this season afterward.|- style="background:#fcc;"| 1| October 1| Sacramento| | Deandre Ayton (24)| Deandre Ayton (9)| Josh Jackson (6)| Talking Stick Resort Arena
8,184| 0–1|- style="background:#cfc;"| 2| October 3| New Zealand| | Deandre Ayton (21)| Deandre Ayton (15)| Trevor Ariza (6)| Talking Stick Resort Arena
7,183| 1–1|- style="background:#fcc;"| 3| October 5| Portland| | Deandre Ayton (19)| Deandre Ayton (14)| Josh Jackson (7)| Talking Stick Resort Arena
11,811| 1–2|- style="background:#cfc;"| 4| October 8| @ Golden State| | Deandre Ayton, Ryan Anderson (18)| Deandre Ayton (7)| Isaiah Canaan, Shaquille Harrison, Josh Jackson (5)| Oracle Arena
19,596| 2–2|- style="background:#fcc;"| 5| October 10| @ Portland| | Josh Jackson (13)| Davon Reed (6)| Josh Jackson, Dragan Bender, Tyson Chandler (4)| Moda Center
15,051| 2–3
|- style="background:#cfc;"| 1| October 17| Dallas| | Devin Booker (35)| Deandre Ayton (10)| Trevor Ariza, Devin Booker,
Isaiah Canaan (7)| Talking Stick Resort Arena
18,422| 1–0|- style="background:#fcc;"| 2| October 20| @ Denver| | Devin Booker (25)| Deandre Ayton, Tyson Chandler (8)| Devin Booker (7)| Pepsi Center
19,592| 1–1|- style="background:#fcc;"| 3| October 22| @ Golden State| | Devin Booker (28)| Deandre Ayton (14)| Devin Booker (6)| Oracle Arena
19,596| 1–2|- style="background:#fcc;"| 4| October 24| L.A. Lakers| | Devin Booker (23)| Deandre Ayton (11)| Devin Booker (7)| Talking Stick Resort Arena
18,055| 1–3|- style="background:#fcc;"| 5| October 27| @ Memphis| | Deandre Ayton (24)| Deandre Ayton (8)| Deandre Ayton, Trevor Ariza (5)| FedExForum
15,926| 1–4|- style="background:#fcc;"| 6| October 28| @ Oklahoma City| | T. J. Warren, Élie Okobo (18)| Deandre Ayton (11)| Élie Okobo (7)| Chesapeake Energy Arena
18,203| 1–5|- style="background:#fcc;"| 7| October 31| San Antonio| | T. J. Warren (21)| Deandre Ayton (8)| Élie Okobo (5)| Talking Stick Resort Arena
12,328| 1–6|- style="background:#fcc;"| 8| November 2| Toronto| | Isaiah Canaan (19)| Deandre Ayton (18)| Trevor Ariza (4)| Talking Stick Resort Arena
15,843| 1–7|- style="background:#cfc;"| 9| November 4| Memphis| | Devin Booker (25)| Trevor Ariza (9)| Devin Booker (7)| Talking Stick Resort Arena
13,074| 2–7|- style="background:#fcc;"| 10| November 6| Brooklyn| | Devin Booker (20)| Deandre Ayton (13)| Isaiah Canaan (4)| Talking Stick Resort Arena
14,205| 2–8|- style="background:#fcc;"| 11| November 8| Boston| | Devin Booker (38)| Deandre Ayton (10)| Devin Booker (9)| Talking Stick Resort Arena
17,359| 2–9|- style="background:#fcc;"| 12| November 10| @ New Orleans| | T. J. Warren (25)| Deandre Ayton (12)| Devin Booker (7)| Smoothie King Center
15,222| 2–10|- style="background:#fcc;"| 13| November 12| @ Oklahoma City| | T. J. Warren (21)| Deandre Ayton, Richaun Holmes (7)| Devin Booker (6)| Chesapeake Energy Arena
18,203| 2–11|- style="background:#cfc;"| 14| November 14| San Antonio| | T. J. Warren (27)| Deandre Ayton (10)| Devin Booker (12)| Talking Stick Resort Arena
14,532| 3–11|- style="background:#fcc;"| 15| November 17| Oklahoma City| | T. J. Warren (23)| Deandre Ayton (9)| Devin Booker (12)| Talking Stick Resort Arena
16,376| 3–12|- style="background:#fcc;"| 16| November 19| @ Philadelphia| | Devin Booker (37)| Deandre Ayton (9)| Devin Booker (8)| Wells Fargo Center
20,459| 3–13|- style="background:#fcc;"| 17| November 21| @ Chicago| | Devin Booker (23)| Deandre Ayton (12)| Devin Booker, Isaiah Canaan (6)| United Center
19,014| 3–14|- style="background:#cfc;"| 18| November 23| @ Milwaukee| | Devin Booker (29)| Trevor Ariza (11)| Devin Booker (7)| Fiserv Forum
17,852| 4–14|- style="background:#fcc;"| 19| November 25| @ Detroit| | Devin Booker (37)| Deandre Ayton (14)| Devin Booker, Jamal Crawford (5)| Little Caesars Arena
14,413| 4–15|- style="background:#fcc;"| 20| November 27| Indiana| | Devin Booker (25)| Trevor Ariza (12)| Devin Booker (8)| Talking Stick Resort Arena
13,038| 4–16|- style="background:#fcc;"| 21| November 28| @ L.A. Clippers| | Devin Booker (23)| Deandre Ayton (9)| Trevor Ariza, Devin Booker,
Jamal Crawford, Élie Okobo (4)| Staples Center
16,372| 4–17|- style="background:#fcc;"| 22| November 30| Orlando| | Deandre Ayton (19)| Josh Jackson, Deandre Ayton (9)| Josh Jackson (7)| Talking Stick Resort Arena
13,228| 4–18|- style="background:#fcc;"| 23| December 2| @ L.A. Lakers| | Richaun Holmes (15)| Deandre Ayton (10)| Jamal Crawford, Élie Okobo (4)| Staples Center
18,997| 4–19|- style="background:#fcc;"| 24| December 4| Sacramento| | De'Anthony Melton (21)| Deandre Ayton (9)| De'Anthony Melton (5)| Talking Stick Resort Arena
12,977| 4–20|- style="background:#fcc;"| 25| December 6| @ Portland| | Troy Daniels (15)| Deandre Ayton (8)| Jamal Crawford (5)| Moda Center
19,001| 4–21|- style="background:#fcc;"| 26| December 7| Miami| | Troy Daniels (18)| Deandre Ayton (11)| Trevor Ariza (6)| Talking Stick Resort Arena
14,273| 4–22|- style="background:#fcc;"| 27| December 10| L.A. Clippers| | Deandre Ayton (20)| Deandre Ayton (12)| Josh Jackson, De'Anthony Melton (8)| Talking Stick Resort Arena
12,088| 4–23|- style="background:#fcc;"| 28| December 11| @ San Antonio| | Josh Jackson (23)| Deandre Ayton (11)| De'Anthony Melton (6)| AT&T Center
17,676| 4–24|- style="background:#cfc;"| 29| December 13| Dallas| | T. J. Warren (30)| Trevor Ariza, Josh Jackson (8)| Trevor Ariza, Jamal Crawford (5)| Talking Stick Resort Arena
13,265| 5–24|- style="background:#cfc;"| 30| December 15| Minnesota| | Devin Booker (28)| Deandre Ayton (12)| Devin Booker, Jamal Crawford (7)| Talking Stick Resort Arena
14,244| 6–24|- style="background:#cfc;"| 31| December 17| @ New York| | Devin Booker (38)| Deandre Ayton (13)| Jamal Crawford (14)| Madison Square Garden
18,437| 7–24|- style="background:#cfc;"| 32| December 19| @ Boston| | Devin Booker (25)| Deandre Ayton (18)| Devin Booker (8)| TD Garden
18,624| 8–24|- style="background:#fcc;"| 33| December 22| @ Washington| | Devin Booker (33)| Deandre Ayton (17)| Devin Booker (14)| Capital One Arena
16,571| 8–25|- style="background:#fcc;"| 34| December 23| @ Brooklyn| | Deandre Ayton (26)| Deandre Ayton (18)| Devin Booker (9)| Barclays Center
15,310| 8–26|- style="background:#cfc;"| 35| December 26| @ Orlando| | Devin Booker (35)| Deandre Ayton (12)| Devin Booker (8)| Amway Center
16,755| 9–26|- style="background:#fcc;"| 36| December 28| Oklahoma City| | Devin Booker (25)| Deandre Ayton (9)| Devin Booker (10)| Talking Stick Resort Arena
18,055| 9–27|- style="background:#fcc;"| 37| December 29| Denver| | Deandre Ayton (33)| Deandre Ayton (14)| Devin Booker (8)| Talking Stick Resort Arena
14,975| 9–28|- style="background:#fcc;"| 38| December 31| Golden State| | Deandre Ayton (25)| Deandre Ayton (10)| Devin Booker (6)| Oracle Arena
16,906| 9–29|- style="background:#fcc;"| 39| January 2| Philadelphia| | Devin Booker (37)| Deandre Ayton (11)| Devin Booker (8)| Talking Stick Resort Arena
15,226| 9–30|- style="background:#fcc;"| 40| January 4| L.A. Clippers| | Devin Booker (23)| Deandre Ayton, Josh Jackson (5)| Devin Booker, Jamal Crawford,
Élie Okobo (4)| Talking Stick Resort Arena
18,422| 9–31|- style="background:#fcc;"| 41| January 6| Charlotte| | T. J. Warren (23)| Deandre Ayton (9)| T. J. Warren (5)| Talking Stick Resort Arena
13,110| 9–32|- style="background:#cfc;"| 42| January 8| Sacramento| | Kelly Oubre Jr. (26)| Deandre Ayton (12)| De'Anthony Melton (8)| Talking Stick Resort Arena
13,977| 10–32|- style="background:#fcc;"| 43| January 9| @ Dallas| | T. J. Warren (23)| T. J. Warren (7)| De'Anthony Melton (6)| American Airlines Center
19,596| 10–33|- style="background:#cfc;"| 44| January 12| Denver| | Deandre Ayton (22)| Deandre Ayton (13)| De'Anthony Melton (10)| Talking Stick Resort Arena
15,246| 11–33|- style="background:#fcc;"| 45| January 15| @ Indiana| | T. J. Warren (18)| Deandre Ayton (8)| De'Anthony Melton (8)| Bankers Life Fieldhouse
15,698| 11–34|- style="background:#fcc;"| 46| January 17| @ Toronto| | Devin Booker (30)| Deandre Ayton (17)| Devin Booker (8)| Scotiabank Arena
19,800| 11–35|- style="background:#fcc;"| 47| January 19| @ Charlotte| | Devin Booker (32)| Quincy Acy (5)| Devin Booker (11)| Spectrum Center
19,278| 11–36|- style="background:#fcc;"| 48| January 20| @ Minnesota| | T. J. Warren (20)| Dragan Bender (10)| Devin Booker (6)| Target Center
14,607| 11–37|- style="background:#fcc;"| 49| January 22| Minnesota| | Josh Jackson (27)| Dragan Bender (10)| Devin Booker, Mikal Bridges,
Jamal Crawford, De'Anthony Melton (4)| Talking Stick Resort Arena
14,460| 11–38|- style="background:#fcc;"| 50| January 24| Portland| | Devin Booker (27)| Josh Jackson (9)| Kelly Oubre Jr. (7)| Talking Stick Resort Arena
15,441| 11–39|- style="background:#fcc;"| 51| January 25| @ Denver| | Devin Booker (35)| Quincy Acy (10)| Jamal Crawford (5)| Pepsi Center
17,425| 11–40|- style="background:#fcc;"| 52| January 27| @ L.A. Lakers| | Devin Booker (21)| Richaun Holmes (10)| Devin Booker (6)| Staples Center
18,997| 11–41|- style="background:#fcc;"| 53| January 29| @ San Antonio| | Devin Booker (38)| Kelly Oubre Jr. (7)| Devin Booker, Jamal Crawford (7)| AT&T Center
18,121| 11–42|- style="background:#fcc;"| 54| February 2| Atlanta| | Devin Booker (32)| Deandre Ayton (11)| Élie Okobo (11)| Talking Stick Resort Arena
15,534| 11–43|- style="background:#fcc;"| 55| February 4| Houston| | Josh Jackson (25)| Deandre Ayton (11)| Jamal Crawford (9)| Talking Stick Resort Arena
15,740| 11–44|- style="background:#fcc;"| 56| February 6| @ Utah| | Josh Jackson (27)| Deandre Ayton (9)| Josh Jackson (7)| Vivint Smart Home Arena
18,306| 11–45|- style="background:#fcc;"| 57| February 8| Golden State| | Kelly Oubre Jr. (25)| Kelly Oubre Jr., Deandre Ayton (12)| Josh Jackson, Dragan Bender (5)| Talking Stick Resort Arena
17,081| 11–46|- style="background:#fcc;"| 58| February 10| @ Sacramento| | Devin Booker (27)| Deandre Ayton, Richaun Holmes (9)| Devin Booker (6)| Golden 1 Center
17,583| 11–47|- style="background:#fcc;"| 59| February 13| @ L.A. Clippers| | Kelly Oubre Jr. (28)| Deandre Ayton (8)| Jamal Crawford (6)| Staples Center
17,703| 11–48|- style="text-align:center;"| colspan="9" style="background:#bbcaff;"|All-Star Break|- style="background:#fcc;"| 60| February 21| @ Cleveland| | Devin Booker (30)| Deandre Ayton (9)| Devin Booker (7)| Quicken Loans Arena
19,022| 11–49|- style="background:#fcc;"| 61| February 23| @ Atlanta| | Tyler Johnson (29)| Deandre Ayton (12)| Devin Booker (8)| State Farm Arena
15,214| 11–50|- style="background:#cfc;"| 62| February 25| @ Miami| | Devin Booker (20)| Deandre Ayton (10)| Devin Booker (9)| American Airlines Arena
19,600| 12–50|- style="background:#fcc;"| 63| March 1| New Orleans| | Devin Booker (26)| Deandre Ayton (8)| Devin Booker (7)| Talking Stick Resort Arena
14,123| 12–51|- style="background:#cfc;"| 64| March 2| L.A. Lakers| | Deandre Ayton (26)| Deandre Ayton (10)| Devin Booker, De'Anthony Melton,
Kelly Oubre Jr. (4)| Talking Stick Resort Arena
18,055| 13–51|- style="background:#cfc;"| 65| March 4| Milwaukee| | Kelly Oubre Jr. (27)| Kelly Oubre Jr. (13)| Devin Booker (7)| Talking Stick Resort Arena
18,055| 14–51|- style="background:#cfc;"| 66| March 6| New York| | Devin Booker (41)| Deandre Ayton (6)| Tyler Johnson (6)| Talking Stick Resort Arena
14,427| 15–51|- style="background:#fcc;"| 67| March 9| @ Portland| | Devin Booker (23)| Deandre Ayton (8)| Tyler Johnson (7)| Moda Center
19,851| 15–52|- style="background:#cfc;"| 68| March 10| @ Golden State| | Devin Booker (37)| Deandre Ayton (9)| Devin Booker (11)| Oracle Arena
19,596| 16–52|- style="background:#fcc;"| 69| March 13| Utah| | Devin Booker (27)| Deandre Ayton (9)| Devin Booker (6)| Talking Stick Resort Arena
18,055| 16–53|- style="background:#fcc;"| 70| March 15| @ Houston| | Devin Booker (29)| Deandre Ayton (14)| Devin Booker (7)| Toyota Center
18,055| 16–54|- style="background:#cfc;"| 71| March 16| @ New Orleans| | Devin Booker (40)| De'Anthony Melton (8)| Devin Booker (13)| Smoothie King Center
17,641| 17–54|- style="background:#fcc;"| 72| March 18| Chicago| | Devin Booker (25)| Deandre Ayton (12)| Devin Booker (7)| Talking Stick Resort Arena
15,879| 17–55|- style="background:#fcc;"| 73| March 21| Detroit| | Devin Booker (26)| Deandre Ayton (8)| Mikal Bridges (7)| Talking Stick Resort Arena
16,066| 17–56|- style="background:#fcc;"| 74| March 23| @ Sacramento| | Devin Booker (32)| Deandre Ayton (11)| Devin Booker (10)| Golden 1 Center
17,583| 17–57|- style="background:#fcc;"| 75| March 25| @ Utah| | Devin Booker (59)| Deandre Ayton (7)| Devin Booker, Élie Okobo (4)| Vivint Smart Home Arena
18,306| 17–58|- style="background:#fcc;"| 76| March 27| Washington| | Devin Booker (50)| Devin Booker, Deandre Ayton (10)| Jamal Crawford (7)| Talking Stick Resort Arena
16,004| 17–59|- style="background:#fcc;"| 77| March 30| Memphis| | Devin Booker (48)| Deandre Ayton (11)| Devin Booker (13)| Talking Stick Resort Arena
16,647| 17–60|- style="background:#cfc;"| 78| April 1| Cleveland| | Devin Booker (25)| Dragan Bender, Richaun Holmes,
Josh Jackson (10)| Devin Booker (13)| Talking Stick Resort Arena
14,050| 18–60|- style="background:#fcc;"| 79| April 3| Utah| | Richaun Holmes (16)| Richaun Holmes (9)| De'Anthony Melton (5)| Talking Stick Resort Arena
15,797| 18–61|- style="background:#cfc;"| 80| April 5| New Orleans| | Josh Jackson (35)| Ray Spalding (13)| Jamal Crawford (7)| Talking Stick Resort Arena
16,410| 19–61|- style="background:#fcc;"| 81| April 7| @ Houston| | Jamal Crawford (27)| Josh Jackson (9)| Josh Jackson, Jamal Crawford (6)| Toyota Center
18,055| 19–62|- style="background:#fcc;"| 82| April 9| @ Dallas| | Jamal Crawford (51)| Dragan Bender (11)| Dragan Bender (6)| American Airlines Center
21,041| 19–63
|- style="text-align:center;" bgcolor=""|| 10 || 0 || 12.3 || .222 || .133 || .700 || 2.5 || 0.8 || 0.1 || 0.4 || 1.7|- style="text-align:center;" background="#f0f0f0;"|*| 15 || 8 || 18.5 || .317 || .206 || .786 || 3.0 || 1.1 || 0.2 || 0.1 || 3.7|- style="text-align:center;" bgcolor=""|*| 26 || 26 || 34.0 || .379 || .360 || .837 || 5.6 || 3.3 || 1.5 || 0.3 || 9.9|- style="text-align:center;" background="#f0f0f0;"|| 71 || 70 || 30.7 || .585 || .000 || .746 || 10.3 || 1.8 || 0.9 || 0.9 || 16.3|- style="text-align:center;" bcolor=""|| 46 || 27 || 18.0 || .447 || .218 || .593 || 4.0 || 1.2 || 0.4 || 0.5 || 5.0|- style="text-align:center;" background="#f0f0f0;"|| 64 || 64 || 35.0 || .467 || .326 || .878 || 4.1 || 6.8 || 0.9 || 0.2 || 26.6|- style="text-align:center;" bgcolor=""|| 82 || 56 || 29.5 || .430 || .335 || .805 || 3.2 || 2.1 || 1.6 || 0.5 || 8.3|- style="text-align:center;" background="#f0f0f0;"|*| 19 || 15 || 26.5 || .395 || .347 || .750 || 2.6 || 3.3 || 0.6 || 0.0 || 7.5|- style="text-align:center;" bgcolor=""|*| 7 || 0 || 12.7 || .667 || — || .556 || 5.6 || 0.9 || 0.3 || 0.1 || 3.7|- style="text-align:center;" background="#f0f0f0;"|| 64 || 0 || 18.9 || .397 || .332 || .845 || 1.3 || 3.6 || 0.5 || 0.2 || 7.9|- style="text-align:center;" bgcolor=""|| 51 || 1 || 14.9 || .411 || .381 || .783 || 1.4 || 0.5 || 0.5 || 0.1 || 6.2|- style="text-align:center;" background="#f0f0f0;"|*| 7 || 0 || 9.1 || .231 || .000 || — || 1.7 || 1.4 || 0.4 || 0.0 || 0.9|- style="text-align:center;" bgcolor=""|| 6 || 0 || 10.8 || .276 || .000 || 1.000 || 1.2 || 1.3 || 0.5 || 0.0 || 3.7|- style="text-align:center;" background="#f0f0f0;"|| 70 || 4 || 16.9 || .608 || — || .731 || 4.7 || 0.9 || 0.6 || 1.1 || 8.2|- style="text-align:center;" bgcolor=""|| 79 || 29 || 25.2 || .413 || .324 || .671 || 4.4 || 2.3 || 0.9 || 0.7 || 11.5|- style="text-align:center;" background="#f0f0f0;"|*| 13 || 12 || 31.2 || .368 || .321 || .872 || 4.0 || 4.2 || 1.1 || 0.5 || 11.1|- style="text-align:center;" bgcolor=""|| 1 || 0 || 6.0 || — || — || — || 1.0 || 0.0 || 0.0 || 0.0 || 0.0|- style="text-align:center;" background="#f0f0f0;"|| 50 || 31 || 19.7 || .391 || .305 || .750 || 2.7 || 3.2 || 1.4 || 0.5 || 5.0|- style="text-align:center;" bgcolor=""|*| 1 || 0 || 5.0 || — || — || — || 3.0 || 0.0 || 0.0 || 0.0 || 0.0|- style="text-align:center;" background="#f0f0f0;"|| 53 || 16 || 18.1 || .393 || .295 || .787 || 1.8 || 2.4 || 0.6 || 0.1 || 5.7|- style="text-align:center;" bgcolor=""|*| 40 || 12 || 29.5 || .453 || .325 || .761 || 4.9 || 1.6 || 1.4 || 1.0 || 16.9|- style="text-align:center;" background="#f0f0f0;"|*| 13 || 3 || 11.3 || .532 || .000 || .333 || 3.7 || 0.4 || 0.7 || 0.6 || 4.2|- style="text-align:center;" bgcolor=""|*| 2 || 0 || 10.0 || .667 || — || .500 || 3.0 || 0.5 || 1.5 || 0.0 || 4.5|- style="text-align:center;" background="#f0f0f0;"|| 43 || 36 || 31.6 || .486 || .428 || .815 || 4.0 || 1.5 || 1.2 || 0.7 || 18.0|}
* – Stats with the Suns.
| Player | Duration | Reason for missed time< | --Do not include players who did not play due to the coach's decision or were forced upon the inactive list. What can be included, though, are players that were assigned time in the G-League.--> | Games missed | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Start | End | ||||
| October 19, 2018 | October 27, 2018 | Failed a concussion protocol | 3 | ||
| October 24, 2018 | November 2, 2018 | Strained hamstring | 3 | ||
| October 30, 2018 | November 2, 2018 | Sprained ankle | 1 | ||
| November 4, 2018 | November 6, 2018 | Lower back spasms | 1 | ||
| November 14, 2018 | November 19, 2018 | Personal reasons | 2 | ||
| November 30, 2018 | December 2, 2018 | Left toe injury | 1 | ||
| November 30, 2018 | December 10, 2018 | Right ankle injury | 5 | ||
| December 2, 2018 | December 15, 2018 | Strained left hamstring | 6 | ||
| December 31, 2018 | January 2, 2019 | Flu | 1 | ||
| January 6, 2019 | January 15, 2019 | Lower back spasms | 3 | ||
| January 12, 2019 | January 20, 2019 | Personal reasons / Sore left knee | 4 | ||
| January 20, 2019 | January 27, 2019 | Right foot sprain | 4 | ||
| January 20, 2019 | February 2, 2019 | Left ankle sprain | 6 | ||
| January 24, 2019 | Did not return | Sore right ankle | 33 | ||
| January 25, 2019 | February 23, 2019 | Right ankle sprain | 10 | ||
| February 2, 2019 | February 8, 2019 | Right thumb sprain | 3 | ||
| February 4, 2019 | February 10, 2019 | Right hamstring tightness | 3 | ||
| March 15, 2019 | Did not return | Sore right knee | 13 | ||
| March 16, 2019 | March 21, 2019 | Strained right quadriceps | 2 | ||
| March 18, 2019 | Did not return | Strained left thumb | 11 | ||
| March 22, 2019 | March 30, 2019 | Sprained right ankle | 3 | ||
| March 30, 2019 | April 1, 2019 | Migraine | 1 | ||
| March 30, 2019 | Did not return | Sprained left ankle | 5 | ||
| April 3, 2019 | Did not return | Twisted left ankle | 3 | ||
| April 3, 2019 | Did not return | Sprained left ankle | 3 | ||
| June 21, 2018[59] | To Phoenix Suns Draft rights to  Mikal Bridges (#10)< | --Reacquired last asset from their 2012 Steve Nash trade with the Los Angeles Lakers after losing it in a previous trade with the 76ers.--> | To Philadelphia 76ers Draft rights to 2021 first-round pick (from Miami) |
|---|---|---|---|
| July 20, 2018[60] | To Phoenix Suns Darrell Arthur | To Brooklyn Nets | |
| July 20, 2018 | To Phoenix Suns Richaun Holmes | To Philadelphia 76ers Cash Considerations | |
| August 31, 2018[61] | To Phoenix Suns | To Houston Rockets | |
| December 17, 2018 | To Phoenix Suns | To Washington Wizards Trevor Ariza | |
| February 6, 2019 | To Phoenix Suns $1.8 million traded player exception | To Miami Heat Ryan Anderson |
| Player | Signed | Former team(s) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trevor Ariza[63] | Signed 1-year deal for $15,000,000 | Houston Rockets | |
| Isaiah Canaan[64] | Signed 1-year non-guaranteed deal for $1,757,429 | Phoenix Suns (Previously waived on February 8, 2018) | |
| Jamal Crawford | Signed 1-year deal for $2,393,887 | Minnesota Timberwolves | |
| Jawun Evans | Signed a two-way contract for around $77,250 | Los Angeles Clippers / Northern Arizona Suns | |
| Eric Moreland | Signed 1-year non-guaranteed deal for $1,080,083 | Detroit Pistons | |
| Quincy Acy | Signed two 10-day contracts worth $213,948 | Brooklyn Nets | |
| Emanuel Terry | Signed a 10-day contract worth $47,370 | Sioux Falls Skyforce | |
| Ray Spalding | Signed a 10-day contract / 2-year deal worth $1,601,598 | Dallas Mavericks / Texas Legends | |
| Jimmer Fredette | Signed 2-year partially guaranteed deal worth $2,186,698 |  Shanghai Bilibili Sharks |
