National NBA Writers Project Suns to Finish Seventh or Worse in the West
The short version
- Four national publications project the Suns seventh or worse in the West for 2026-27
- Phoenix finished seventh last season and needed two play-in games to reach the playoffs as an eighth seed
- Top-seeded Oklahoma City, the defending champion, swept the Suns in the first round
- Mark Williams is expected to miss months after injuring his left shoulder in an offseason workout
- SI's Chris Mannix and Blake Silverman both predict Phoenix will miss the playoffs this season
Predictions from ESPN, Athlon, SB Nation and Sports Illustrated all point toward another play-in finish for Phoenix in 2026-27.
National NBA writers are forecasting another difficult road to the playoffs for the Phoenix Suns. Predictions from four publications — ESPN, Athlon Sports, SB Nation and Sports Illustrated — all place Phoenix seventh or worse in the Western Conference for the 2026-27 season, meaning the team would likely have to go through the play-in tournament again.
The play-in format pits the teams that finish seventh through tenth in each conference against one another for the seventh and eighth playoff seeds. Phoenix lived that reality a season ago, finishing seventh in the West over 82 games but needing two play-in contests to secure the eighth seed.
That sent the Suns into a first-round matchup with defending NBA champion Oklahoma City, the top overall seed, which swept Phoenix out of the playoffs.
ESPN's Zach Kram grouped the Suns among "potential play-in participants" alongside Charlotte, Dallas, Golden State, Memphis, New Orleans, Portland, Utah and Washington. He noted that both Phoenix and Portland reached the playoffs last season but that neither appears to have a particularly high ceiling.
Athlon Sports' preview magazine picked the Suns seventh in the West, behind Oklahoma City, San Antonio, Houston, Denver, Minnesota and the Lakers, with Golden State, Portland and Utah filling spots eight through ten. SB Nation's Ricky O'Donnell also slotted Phoenix seventh. He praised the team's offseason moves after the Kevin Durant trade, called head coach Jordan Ott a good hire following a 45-win debut season, and expressed continued optimism about second-year center Khaman Maluach out of Duke. O'Donnell also highlighted Collin Gillespie as a hidden gem entering a $48 million deal this season.
O'Donnell added that Mark Williams will miss months with a left shoulder injury suffered during an offseason workout, leaving Maluach and Oso Ighodaro to compete for the starting center job. He was critical of the Miles Bridges trade but liked the additions of draft pick Koa Peat and returning guard Jordan Goodwin.
All three Sports Illustrated writers surveyed — Chris Mannix, Liam McKeone and Blake Silverman — have the Suns finishing in the play-in range. Mannix put Phoenix eighth and picked the team to miss the playoffs entirely, citing the loss of Grayson Allen's shooting and improvements expected from Utah and New Orleans. Silverman ranked the Suns tenth, describing a possible transition year after the departures of Allen and Royce O'Neale, the arrival of Bridges and Luke Kennard, and uncertainty around Bridges' free agency and Jalen Green's $36 million player option. McKeone placed Phoenix seventh and picked Portland, which beat the Suns in the 7-8 play-in game last season before losing to San Antonio in the first round, to miss the postseason.
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