The 2022–23 Phoenix Suns season was their 55th season of the franchise in the National Basketball Association (NBA), as well as their 30th season at the Footprint Center.[1] It was also the last season under Robert Sarver's ownership tenure, as he was suspended from league-wide activities on September 13, 2022 due to an independent investigation on Sarver that began the season prior revealing inappropriate behaviors he had throughout his tenure as franchise owner of the Suns.[2][3] He later announced in that same month that minority team owner and vice chairman of the Suns, Sam Garvin, would take over the majority of team duties for the rest of this season until new ownership bought out Sarver as the new majority team owners going forward.[4][5] Sarver eventually accepted a deal to sell his ownership rights to both the Suns and Phoenix Mercury to an ownership group led by United Wholesale Mortgage CEO Mat Ishbia and his older brother Justin Ishbia for an asking price of $4 billion on December 20, 2022,[6] with the NBA approving of the new ownership on February 6, 2023 and an official announcement confirming the deal coming a day later on February 7, 2023.[7][8][9][10]
| 2022–23 Phoenix Suns season | |
|---|---|
| Head coach | Monty Williams |
| General manager | James Jones |
| Owners | Robert Sarver (Suspended for this season, effective September 13, 2022; removed from the team on February 7, 2023.) Sam Garvin (Interim team governor until February 7, 2023.) Mat Ishbia & Justin Ishbia (Official new owners from February 7, 2023 onward.) |
| Arena | Footprint Center |
| Results | |
| Record | 45–37 (.549) |
| Place | Division: 2nd (Pacific) Conference: 4th (Western) |
| Playoff finish | Conference Semifinals (lost to Nuggets 2–4) |
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com | |
| Local media | |
| Television | Bally Sports Arizona |
| Radio | KTAR |
During that same period of time, forward Jae Crowder agreed to sit out the rest of the season with the Suns until a potential trade was announced, which occurred on the February 9, 2023 trade deadline. Crowder was ultimately involved in a four-way trade where he got sent to the Milwaukee Bucks while they sent their own assets to the Indiana Pacers and Brooklyn Nets. Nearing the trade deadline of the 2022–23 season, the Suns were involved in a blockbuster transaction, where they traded away Mikal Bridges, Cameron Johnson, four unprotected first round picks, and the right to swap first round picks with the Suns in 2028 to the Brooklyn Nets in exchange for 13-time NBA All-Star and 2-time NBA Finals MVP Kevin Durant and the re-acquisition of T.J. Warren.[11][12]
The Suns failed to improve upon their 64–18 record from the previous season after a loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers on January 4, 2023. However, despite dealing with multiple injuries throughout the season, including injuries to Devin Booker in December and Kevin Durant in March, the Suns clinched their third straight winning season on March 31, 2023 with a win over the Denver Nuggets. They later secured their third straight playoff berth on April 4 against the San Antonio Spurs, with the #4 seed in the Western Conference being set two days later against the Nuggets.
In the playoffs, the Suns defeated the Los Angeles Clippers in the first round in a rematch of 2021's Conference finals in which the Suns won in six games. The Suns won in five games, winning the last four games of the series after losing the first game at home. In the conference semifinals, they faced the top-seeded Denver Nuggets, a rematch of 2021's Semifinals in which the Suns swept the Nuggets. However, the Suns lost in six games to the eventual champion, suffering a blowout loss on home court in the Semifinals for the second straight year.
The Suns fired head coach Monty Williams two days following their postseason exit after four seasons with the team.[13] This season also became the last for long-time Suns broadcaster Al McCoy, who announced his retirement from broadcasting duties near the end of this season after serving the role for the Suns since the 1972–73 season. It also became the final season where Suns games were broadcast through Bally Sports Arizona (previously Fox Sports Arizona & FSN Arizona), as Mat Ishbia announced they would move their services onto more channels in the state of Arizona for a more widespread view after their regular season concluded. While Bally Sports tried to fight back against Ishbia's move by claiming a breach of contract happened, Bally Sports ultimately declined matching Gray Television's offer for the Suns, which later caused a chain reaction that led to Bally Sports Arizona losing broadcasting rights to other professional sports teams in Arizona before being shut down for good on October 21, 2023.
Draft
editThe Suns did not hold any picks in the 2022 NBA draft.[14]
Roster
edit| Players | Coaches | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Roster |
Standings
editDivision
edit| Pacific Division | W | L | PCT | GB | Home | Road | Div | GP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| y – Sacramento Kings | 48 | 34 | .585 | – | 23–18 | 25–16 | 9–7 | 82 |
| x – Phoenix Suns | 45 | 37 | .549 | 3.0 | 28–13 | 17–24 | 9–7 | 82 |
| x – Los Angeles Clippers | 44 | 38 | .537 | 4.0 | 23–18 | 21–20 | 9–7 | 82 |
| x – Golden State Warriors | 44 | 38 | .537 | 4.0 | 33–8 | 11–30 | 7–9 | 82 |
| x – Los Angeles Lakers | 43 | 39 | .524 | 5.0 | 23–18 | 20–21 | 6–10 | 82 |
Conference
edit| Western Conference | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | Team | W | L | PCT | GB | GP |
| 1 | c – Denver Nuggets * | 53 | 29 | .646 | – | 82 |
| 2 | y – Memphis Grizzlies * | 51 | 31 | .622 | 2.0 | 82 |
| 3 | y – Sacramento Kings * | 48 | 34 | .585 | 5.0 | 82 |
| 4 | x – Phoenix Suns | 45 | 37 | .549 | 8.0 | 82 |
| 5 | x – Los Angeles Clippers | 44 | 38 | .537 | 9.0 | 82 |
| 6 | x – Golden State Warriors | 44 | 38 | .537 | 9.0 | 82 |
| 7 | x – Los Angeles Lakers | 43 | 39 | .524 | 10.0 | 82 |
| 8 | x – Minnesota Timberwolves | 42 | 40 | .512 | 11.0 | 82 |
| 9 | pi – New Orleans Pelicans | 42 | 40 | .512 | 11.0 | 82 |
| 10 | pi – Oklahoma City Thunder | 40 | 42 | .488 | 13.0 | 82 |
| 11 | Dallas Mavericks | 38 | 44 | .463 | 15.0 | 82 |
| 12 | Utah Jazz | 37 | 45 | .451 | 16.0 | 82 |
| 13 | Portland Trail Blazers | 33 | 49 | .402 | 20.0 | 82 |
| 14 | Houston Rockets | 22 | 60 | .268 | 31.0 | 82 |
| 15 | San Antonio Spurs | 22 | 60 | .268 | 31.0 | 82 |
Game log
editPreseason
edit| 2022 preseason game log Total: 1–3 (home: 0–2; road: 1–1) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Preseason: 1–3 (home: 0–2; road: 1–1)
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| 2022–23 season schedule | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Regular season
edit| 2022–23 game log Total: 45–37 (home: 28–13; road: 17–24) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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October: 5–1 (home: 4–0; road: 1–1)
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November
: 10–5 (home: 8–1; road: 2–4)
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December: 5–11 (home: 2–4; road: 3–7)
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January: 7–8 (home: 5–3; road: 2–5)
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February
: 6–4 (home: 2–2; road: 4–2)
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March
: 9–6 (home: 5–2; road: 4–4)
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April
: 3–2 (home: 2–1; road: 1–1)
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| 2022–23 season schedule | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Playoffs
edit| 2023 playoff game log Total: 6–5 (home: 4–2; road: 2–3) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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First Round: 4–1 (home: 2–1; road: 2–0)
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Conference Semifinals: 2–4 (home: 2–1; road: 0–3)
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| 2023 playoff schedule | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Player statistics
edit| 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 |
Regular season
edit| Player | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Torrey Craig | 79 | 60 | 24.7 | .456 | .395 | .711 | 5.4 | 1.5 | .6 | .8 | 7.4 |
| Damion Lee | 74 | 5 | 20.4 | .442 | .445 | .904 | 3.0 | 1.3 | .4 | .1 | 8.2 |
| Josh Okogie | 72 | 26 | 18.8 | .391 | .335 | .724 | 3.5 | 1.5 | .8 | .5 | 7.3 |
| Jock Landale | 69 | 4 | 14.2 | .528 | .250 | .752 | 4.1 | 1.0 | .2 | .4 | 6.6 |
| Deandre Ayton | 67 | 67 | 30.4 | .589 | .292 | .760 | 10.0 | 1.7 | .6 | .8 | 18.0 |
| Bismack Biyombo | 61 | 14 | 14.3 | .578 | .357 | 4.3 | .9 | .3 | 1.4 | 4.3 | |
| Ish Wainright | 60 | 2 | 15.3 | .370 | .329 | .839 | 2.3 | .9 | .6 | .4 | 4.2 |
| Chris Paul | 59 | 59 | 32.0 | .440 | .375 | .831 | 4.3 | 8.9 | 1.5 | .4 | 13.9 |
| Mikal Bridges† | 56 | 56 | 36.4 | .463 | .387 | .897 | 4.3 | 3.6 | 1.2 | .8 | 17.2 |
| Devin Booker | 53 | 53 | 34.6 | .494 | .351 | .855 | 4.5 | 5.5 | 1.0 | .3 | 27.8 |
| Cameron Payne | 48 | 15 | 20.2 | .415 | .368 | .766 | 2.2 | 4.5 | .7 | .2 | 10.3 |
| Landry Shamet | 40 | 9 | 20.2 | .377 | .377 | .882 | 1.7 | 2.3 | .7 | .1 | 8.7 |
| Dario Šarić† | 37 | 12 | 14.4 | .427 | .391 | .818 | 3.8 | 1.5 | .4 | .1 | 5.8 |
| Duane Washington Jr. | 31 | 3 | 12.7 | .367 | .360 | .667 | 1.2 | 2.0 | .2 | .1 | 7.9 |
| Saben Lee† | 23 | 1 | 15.8 | .393 | .379 | .737 | 2.0 | 2.8 | .8 | .0 | 6.3 |
| Terrence Ross† | 21 | 0 | 18.4 | .428 | .347 | .857 | 3.3 | 2.0 | .5 | .1 | 9.0 |
| Cameron Johnson† | 17 | 16 | 25.2 | .474 | .455 | .818 | 3.8 | 1.5 | .9 | .4 | 13.9 |
| T. J. Warren† | 16 | 0 | 12.3 | .429 | .316 | .500 | 3.1 | .7 | .4 | .3 | 4.2 |
| Kevin Durant† | 8 | 8 | 33.6 | .570 | .537 | .833 | 6.4 | 3.5 | .3 | 1.3 | 26.0 |
| Darius Bazley† | 7 | 0 | 8.7 | .480 | .250 | .400 | 2.3 | .9 | .4 | .7 | 4.0 |
Playoffs
edit| Player | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kevin Durant | 11 | 11 | 42.4 | .478 | .333 | .917 | 8.7 | 5.5 | .8 | 1.4 | 29.0 |
| Devin Booker | 11 | 11 | 41.7 | .585 | .508 | .866 | 4.8 | 7.2 | 1.7 | .8 | 33.7 |
| Torrey Craig | 11 | 5 | 16.6 | .578 | .440 | .889 | 2.3 | .5 | .5 | .2 | 6.5 |
| Deandre Ayton | 10 | 10 | 31.9 | .550 | .522 | 9.7 | 1.0 | .6 | .7 | 13.4 | |
| Josh Okogie | 10 | 5 | 17.5 | .378 | .143 | .846 | 2.1 | 1.3 | .6 | .2 | 4.1 |
| Landry Shamet | 10 | 1 | 18.4 | .378 | .379 | .750 | 1.7 | 1.1 | .2 | .1 | 4.8 |
| Damion Lee | 8 | 0 | 11.1 | .300 | .200 | 1.000 | 1.4 | .6 | .3 | .0 | 2.1 |
| Bismack Biyombo | 8 | 0 | 9.8 | .563 | .500 | 3.4 | .8 | .0 | 1.3 | 3.4 | |
| Chris Paul | 7 | 7 | 35.7 | .418 | .321 | .500 | 5.0 | 7.4 | 1.7 | .7 | 12.4 |
| Cameron Payne | 7 | 4 | 21.7 | .479 | .407 | .000 | 2.0 | 2.9 | .4 | .3 | 8.1 |
| Jock Landale | 7 | 1 | 16.1 | .630 | .000 | .643 | 4.0 | .4 | .4 | .4 | 6.1 |
| T. J. Warren | 6 | 0 | 13.5 | .316 | .143 | .750 | 1.2 | .5 | .2 | .5 | 2.7 |
| Terrence Ross | 6 | 0 | 11.5 | .296 | .273 | 1.3 | .2 | .2 | .3 | 3.7 | |
| Ish Wainright | 6 | 0 | 3.5 | .250 | .250 | .2 | .0 | .0 | .2 | .5 |
- † Denotes player spent time with another team in the season. Stats reflect time with the Suns only.
Transactions
editTrades
edit| July 6, 2022[15] | To Phoenix Suns Jock Landale
|
To Atlanta Hawks Cash considerations |
| February 9, 2023[16][17] | Four-team trade | |
To Phoenix Suns
|
To Milwaukee Bucks
| |
To Brooklyn Nets
|
To Indiana Pacers
| |
| February 9, 2023[18][19] | To Phoenix Suns Darius Bazley |
To Oklahoma City Thunder
|
Free agency
editRe-signed
edit| Player | Signed | Ref. |
|---|---|---|
| Bismack Biyombo | July 5, 2022 | [20] |
| Deandre Ayton | July 19, 2022 | [21] |
| Ish Wainright | August 3, 2022 (two-way contract) February 24, 2023 (regular contract) |
Additions
edit| Player | Signed | Former team(s) | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Damion Lee | July 5, 2022 | Golden State Warriors | [22] |
| Josh Okogie | July 5, 2022 | Minnesota Timberwolves | [23] |
| Duane Washington Jr. | August 3, 2022 | Indiana Pacers / Fort Wayne Mad Ants | |
| Saben Lee | October 11, 2022 January 11 & 21, 2023 February 1, 2023 |
Detroit Pistons / Utah Jazz / Raptors 905 | |
| Terrence Ross | February 15, 2023 | Orlando Magic |
Subtractions
edit| Player | Reason left | New team(s) | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aaron Holiday | Free agent | Atlanta Hawks | [24] |
| JaVale McGee | Free agent | Dallas Mavericks | [25] |
| Gabriel Lundberg | Free agent |  Virtus Bologna
|
[26] |
| Elfrid Payton | Free agent | Fort Wayne Mad Ants /  Osos de Manatí
|
|
| Duane Washington Jr. | Waived two-way contract | New York Knicks / Westchester Knicks | |
| Mikal Bridges | Traded | Brooklyn Nets | |
| Cameron Johnson | Traded | Brooklyn Nets | |
| Jae Crowder | Traded | Milwaukee Bucks | |
| Dario Šarić | Traded | Oklahoma City Thunder |
References
edit- ^ "2021-22 Phoenix Suns Roster and Stats". Basketball-Reference.com. Retrieved October 2, 2021.
- ^ "NBA statement about independent investigation regarding Robert Sarver and the Phoenix Suns organization". NBA.com: NBA Communications. September 13, 2022. Retrieved September 13, 2022.
- ^ "Suns' owner Sarver suspended from NBA/WNBA for one year, fined $10 million". sports.yahoo.com. Retrieved September 19, 2022.
- ^ "Phoenix Suns' Sam Garvin granted authority to act as interim governor during Robert Sarver's suspension, sources say". ESPN. September 15, 2022.
- ^ "Robert Sarver says he's starting process to sell NBA's Phoenix Suns, WNBA's Phoenix Mercury". espn.com. September 21, 2022. Retrieved January 31, 2023.
- ^ "Ishbia agrees to Suns purchase for record $4B". ESPN.com. December 20, 2022. Retrieved January 31, 2023.
- ^ "NBA approves sale of Suns, Mercury to Ishbia". February 7, 2023.
- ^ "Sources: Mat Ishbia's purchase of Suns, Mercury to be official soon". espn.com. January 25, 2023. Retrieved January 31, 2023.
- ^ Mat Ishbia's purchase of Phoenix Suns approved by NBA vote
- ^ MAT ISHBIA ASSUMES CONTROLLING OWNERSHIP INTEREST OF PHOENIX SUNS AND PHOENIX MERCURY
- ^ SUNS COMPLETE TRADE FOR KEVIN DURANT, T.J. WARREN
- ^ Brooklyn Nets Acquire Mikal Bridges, Cam Johnson and Draft Compensation in Four-team Trade
- ^ Haller, Shams Charania and Doug. "Suns fire Monty Williams following semifinals exit". The Athletic. Retrieved May 14, 2023.
- ^ "2022 NBA Draft Order". NBA.com. May 19, 2022. Retrieved June 1, 2022.
- ^ "SUNS ACQUIRE JOCK LANDALE". NBA.com. July 6, 2022. Retrieved July 6, 2022.
- ^ "Brooklyn Nets Acquire Mikal Bridges, Cam Johnson and Draft Compensation in Four-team Trade". NBA.com. February 9, 2023. Retrieved February 9, 2023.
- ^ "Kevin Durant Trade Officially Completed as Four-Team Deal".
- ^ "Thunder Acquires Dario Šarić and Second-Round Draft Pick". NBA.com. February 9, 2023. Retrieved February 9, 2023.
- ^ "SUNS ACQUIRE DARIUS BAZLEY FROM OKLAHOMA CITY". NBA.com. February 9, 2023. Retrieved February 9, 2023.
- ^ "SUNS RE-SIGN BISMACK BIYOMBO". NBA.com. July 5, 2022. Retrieved July 10, 2022.
- ^ "Suns re-sign Deandre Ayton to multiyear contract". NBA.com. July 19, 2022. Retrieved July 19, 2022.
- ^ "SUNS SIGN DAMION LEE". NBA.com. July 5, 2022. Retrieved July 10, 2022.
- ^ "SUNS SIGN JOSH OKOGIE". NBA.com. July 5, 2022. Retrieved July 10, 2022.
- ^ "Hawks Sign Guard Aaron Holiday". NBA.com. July 6, 2022. Retrieved July 7, 2022.
- ^ Sefko, Eddie (July 10, 2022). "MAVERICKS SIGN MCGEE, HOPE HIS CHAMPIONSHIP PEDIGREE RUBS OFF". mavs.com. Retrieved July 10, 2022.
- ^ "Gabriel Lundberg is a new Virtus Segafredo Bologna player!". Virtus Bologna. July 21, 2022. Retrieved July 21, 2022.