2021–22 Phoenix Suns season

2021–22 Phoenix Suns season
Division champions
Head coachMonty Williams
General managerJames Jones
OwnersRobert Sarver
ArenaFootprint Center
Results
Record64–18 (.780)
PlaceDivision: 1st (Pacific)
Conference: 1st (Western)
Playoff finishConference Semifinals
(lost to Mavericks 3–4)

Stats at Basketball-Reference.com
Local media
TelevisionBally Sports Arizona
RadioKTAR
< 2020–21 2022–23 >

The 2021–22 Phoenix Suns season was their 54th season of the franchise in the National Basketball Association (NBA), as well as their 29th season at the currently named Footprint Center, their first full season under that name after taking over the naming rights to the previously named Phoenix Suns Arena on July 16, 2021, during the 2021 NBA Finals.

The Suns entered the season as the defending Western Conference champions and were attempting to return to the NBA Finals for the second consecutive year. On March 24, with a win over the Denver Nuggets, the Phoenix Suns clinched the #1 spot in the Western Conference and the league for the first time since 2005. With the Suns 63rd win over the Los Angeles Lakers on April 5 (which, coincidentally, also eliminated the Lakers from playoff/play-in contention), the Suns set a franchise record for most wins in a season, surpassing the 1992–93 and 2004–05 teams with 62.

In the playoffs, the Suns defeated the New Orleans Pelicans in six games in the first round, but were then upset by the 4th-seeded Dallas Mavericks in the conference semifinals, where they lost in seven games, becoming the third team to have 64 or more wins and not reach the conference finals after the 2006–07 Dallas Mavericks and 2015–16 San Antonio Spurs.

Off-season

Draft

Round Pick Player Position(s) Nationality College / Club
1 29 Day'Ron Sharpe Center United States United States North Carolina

The Suns agreed to trade their 29th pick and Jevon Carter to the Brooklyn Nets in exchange for Landry Shamet.

Free agency

For this season, free agency began over a month later than it usually does, starting on August 2, 2021, at 6:00 P.M. EST instead of by June 30 or July 1 like in previous free agency periods due to the aftermath of the 2019–20 NBA season suspension affecting some of the timing for a few things with this season's offseason period. However, instead of starting the free agency period to something like July 31 akin to last season's free agency period starting two days after the last season's draft back on November 20, 2020, free agency began on the proper five days off before free agency begins. Furthermore, official signings were made four days after the starting free agency period (which in this case began on August 6, 2021, instead of by late November like last season), which was on schedule for the five day moratorium period the NBA holds. For this season, the Suns had (starting with the most expensive players downward) E'Twaun Moore, Langston Galloway, Cameron Payne, Abdel Nader, Frank Kaminsky III, and Torrey Craig all entering free agency this year due to all of them signing (or agreeing to) their veteran's minimum salaries for their respective deals last season. In addition to them, superstar point guard Chris Paul also declined his player's option that would have allowed him to get $44,211,146 in the final season of his massive contract he first signed back when he was with the Houston Rockets in 2018, though he's expected to receive a 3-year deal worth $90 million with the Suns in free agency. Not only that, in addition to all of these players, Ty-Shon Alexander's two-way contract was projected to go into its second year with Phoenix, which initially left them only one likely open two-way contract for the season earlier on.

On August 2, the Suns agreed to new deals for not just back-up point guard Cameron Payne, but also All-Star point guard Chris Paul, both of which became official by August 6. With Payne, his new deal gave him a three-year contract that's worth a total of $19 million, with his third year only guaranteeing him $2 million out of $6,500,000 that would be received there. However, with Chris Paul, his new contract allows him to receive a partially guaranteed four-year deal that would fully grant him up to $120 million, though only his first two years are fully guaranteed, with his third year being partially guaranteed (half of his salary is fully guaranteed for that season) and his final season in that deal being non-guaranteed. Not only that, but they also agreed to sign Denver Nuggets center JaVale McGee (who was also a part of Team U.S.A. for the 2020 Summer Olympics alongside Devin Booker) to a one-year deal for $5 million, though his agreement on August 2 was made official on August 16 instead. However, the Suns also lost Torrey Craig to the Indiana Pacers on August 2, with Craig agreeing to sign a two-year deal worth $10 million for Indiana, which was made official by August 20. A day after that, the Suns also re-signed Abdel Nader to a two-year deal worth $4,200,000 (second year being a team option), with his signing also being official on August 6. On August 5, Frank Kaminsky III agreed to another one-year deal worth his veteran's minimum to return to Phoenix, with former Suns point guard Elfrid Payton agreeing to a one-year deal worth his own veteran's minimum to reunite with the Suns, albeit as a third-string point guard this time around. Kaminsky's deal was made official by August 9, while Payton's was completed a day later.

On August 26, the Suns announced that they had officially waived Ty-Shon Alexander from his second year of his two-way contract he had signed from his previous season with the team. On September 7, the Suns confirmed that they replaced Alexander's spot with that of former Washington Wizards (and technically San Antonio Spurs) player Chandler Hutchison as a two-way contract player for this season only due to it being his last eligible year for such a contract, with Ty-Shon Alexander confirmed to join the Segafredo Virtus Bologna in Italy later on that same day. The next day, E'Twaun Moore agreed to a one-year deal to return to the Orlando Magic after last playing with Orlando from 2012 to 2014. On September 22, Chasson Randle was confirmed to be a training camp signing for the Suns that's looking to gain a spot on the roster properly in October, which was made official on September 26. However, Randle was officially waived after their preseason ended on October 16. Then, on September 24, Langston Galloway was confirmed to sign a training camp deal with the Golden State Warriors, though he was waived from the Warriors on October 9. With regards to rookie scale contract extensions, Mikal Bridges was given a 4-year, $90 million extension with the Suns on October 17, while Landry Shamet was given a 4-year, $43 million extension with Phoenix a day later. However, Deandre Ayton failed to get a contract extension of his own before the deadline passed, making him a restricted free agent entering next season. On October 22, the Suns filled their second two-way contract with small power forward Ish Wainright, a Ugandan-American that previously last played for the SIG Strasbourg in France before signing a non-guaranteed contract with the Toronto Raptors in the preseason.

Coaching changes

During the 2021 NBA Finals run on July 12, assistant coach Willie Green agreed to become the new head coach of the New Orleans Pelicans to enter this season. On July 25, the Suns agreed to hire Minnesota Timberwolves assistant coach Bryan Gates as a replacement to Willie Green going forward entering this season. On August 7, the Suns officially announced not just the promotion of Kevin Young to Willie Green's former position of associate head coach and the confirmed hiring of Bryan Gates, but also hired former NBA and NBA G League Ignite player Jarrett Jack and Oklahoma City Thunder player development coach Steve Scalzi to initially round out the rest of the coaching staff. On August 22, player development coach Riccardo Fois officially left his position with the Suns to become an assistant coach for the University of Arizona's Wildcats men's basketball team. Finally, on September 24, the Suns confirmed that both Riccardo Fois and Ben Strong left their positions as player development coaches for the team, being replaced by the Suns' assistant video coordinator Corey Vinson and the Portland Trail Blazers' video coordinator and player development coach Jamal Gross as a combination of video coordinator and player development coaches for the team. Not only that, but Fort Wayne Mad Ants assistant coach Michael Ruffin was confirmed to be the official assistant coach replacement for Steve Blake, with Jarrett Jack joining Steve Scalzi as player development assistant coaches going into this season.

Front offices changes and Robert Sarver controversy

On July 24, Jeff Bower had a mutual agreement with the Suns to officially leave his position as Vice President of Basketball Operations for them going forward. With Larry Fitzgerald confirmed to not be playing in the NFL for at least the majority of the 2021 Arizona Cardinals season, it is presumed likely that Fitzgerald will be given a much greater role with the Suns franchise going into this season under Robert Sarver's ownership group. However, a report from Jordan Schultz on October 22, 2021, suggested that ESPN was going to release a major exposé piece on majority team owner Robert Sarver with regards to rampant racism, sexism, and misogyny involved with him on the team both on and off the court throughout his entire tenure as team owner. While Sarver and other front office members explicitly denied any problems in mind there before the report's release, the actual report on Sarver was released on November 4, detailing all the problems involved with the majority of his time there. While Sarver and a majority of team personnel released public statements on their official website in response to the allegations at hand, the NBA began their investigations on the team's executive conduct the same day ESPN's report was released.

Roster

2021–22 Phoenix Suns roster
Players Coaches
Pos. No. Name Height Weight DOB From
C 22 Ayton, Deandre 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 250 lb (113 kg) 1998-07-23 Arizona
C 18 Biyombo, Bismack 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 255 lb (116 kg) 1992-08-28 Democratic Republic of the Congo
G 1 Booker, Devin (C) 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 206 lb (93 kg) 1996-10-30 Kentucky
F 25 Bridges, Mikal 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 209 lb (95 kg) 1996-08-30 Villanova
G 0 Craig, Torrey 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 221 lb (100 kg) 1990-12-19 USC Upstate
F 99 Crowder, Jae 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 235 lb (107 kg) 1990-07-06 Marquette
G 4 Holiday, Aaron 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 1996-09-30 UCLA
F 23 Johnson, Cameron 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 210 lb (95 kg) 1996-03-03 North Carolina
G 19 Lundberg, Gabriel (TW) 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 203 lb (92 kg) 1994-12-04 Denmark
C 00 McGee, JaVale 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) 270 lb (122 kg) 1988-01-19 Nevada
G 3 Paul, Chris (C) 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 175 lb (79 kg) 1985-05-06 Wake Forest
G 15 Payne, Cameron 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 183 lb (83 kg) 1994-08-08 Murray State
G 2 Payton, Elfrid 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 195 lb (88 kg) 1994-02-22 Louisiana
F 20 Šarić, Dario Injured 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 225 lb (102 kg) 1994-04-08 Croatia
G 14 Shamet, Landry 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 1997-03-13 Wichita State
F 12 Wainright, Ish 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 250 lb (113 kg) 1994-09-12 Baylor
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)

Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (DP) Unsigned draft pick
  • (FA) Free agent
  • (S) Suspended
  • (GL) On assignment to G League affiliate
  • (TW) Two-way affiliate player
  • Injured Injured

Roster
Last transaction: April 10, 2022

Salaries

Player 2021–22 Salary
Devin Booker $31,650,600
Chris Paul $30,800,000
Deandre Ayton $12,632,950
Jae Crowder $9,720,900
Dario Šarić $8,510,000
Cameron Payne $6,500,000
Mikal Bridges $5,557,725
JaVale McGee $5,000,000
Jalen Smith $4,458,000
Cameron Johnson $4,437,000
Landry Shamet $3,768,342
Elfrid Payton $2,389,641
Frank Kaminsky III $2,239,544
Abdel Nader $2,000,000
Chandler Hutchison $462,629
Ish Wainright $462,629
Total $129,664,702

For this season, the salary cap was set at $112,414,000, with the luxury tax line now being set at $136,606,000.

Preseason

After dealing with some changes to the preseason format for last season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the NBA made sure to get their preseason period back into its proper starting point in early October going from this season onward, which includes a healthy amount of preseason games to start things out there. While the Suns were still playing in the 2021 NBA playoffs, the Los Angeles Lakers revealed their preseason schedule on June 29, which included a match with the Suns at home on October 6 and a road match in Los Angeles on October 10. Not only that, but on August 17, the Portland Trail Blazers revealed in their preseason schedule that the Suns would play at home against Portland on October 13, with them both revealing they were their final, respective preseason opponents this time around. Then on August 19, the Sacramento Kings revealed they were the first opponent the Suns will have in the preseason with a road game in Sacramento to start things out there. The Phoenix Suns later revealed those four games of theirs were officially their preseason schedule on August 25.

Before the start of their preseason period, Devin Booker was confirmed to be infected with COVID-19 despite getting the COVID-19 vaccine earlier in the previous season alongside the rest of the team playing there. Despite being able to return to practice early, Booker was held out for at least the majority of the preseason period, returning to play for only the final preseason game. Not only that, but the Suns' home games had to be moved to earlier times than originally scheduled due to the team focusing on their matches as doubleheader matches, with the Phoenix Mercury being considered the main events due to them competing in the 2021 WNBA Playoffs against the Las Vegas Aces and Chicago Sky after the Suns' respective matches against the Lakers and Trail Blazers on October 6 & 13. While their first and last preseason games on October 4 & 13 did not air on TV this season, the Suns had their preseason matches against the Lakers air on NBA TV and ESPN respectively for their October 6 & 10 games. After struggling against the Kings to start the preseason, Phoenix won both of their matches against the Lakers (even blowing the Lakers out 123–94 in their second match) before blowing out the Trail Blazers in a 119–74 win at home, finishing the preseason with a 3–1 record.

2021 preseason game log
Total: 3–1 (home: 2–0; road: 1–1)
Preseason: 3–1 (home: 2–0; road: 1–1)
Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location
Attendance
Record
1 October 4 @ Sacramento L 106–117 Shamet, Smith (13) Jalen Smith (11) Cameron Payne (7) Golden 1 Center
17,583
0–1
2 October 6 L.A. Lakers W 117–105 Mikal Bridges (15) Deandre Ayton (11) Chris Paul (11) Footprint Center
12,434
1–1
3 October 10 @ L.A. Lakers W 123–94 Chris Paul (15) Ayton, McGee, Smith (9) Cameron Payne (7) Staples Center
13,844
2–1
4 October 13 Portland W 119–74 Devin Booker (17) Deandre Ayton (11) Elfrid Payton (9) Footprint Center
9,772
3–1
2021–22 season schedule

Regular season

Game log

2021–22 game log
Total: 64–18 (home: 32–9; road: 32–9)
October: 2–3 (home: 1–2; road: 1–1)
Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location
Attendance
Record
1 October 20 Denver L 98–110 Mikal Bridges (16) Crowder, McGee (8) Chris Paul (10) Footprint Center
16,074
0–1
2 October 22 @ L.A. Lakers W 115–105 Chris Paul (23) Deandre Ayton (15) Chris Paul (14) Staples Center
18,997
1–1
3 October 23 @ Portland L 105–134 Devin Booker (21) Frank Kaminsky III (5) Chris Paul (11) Moda Center
18,558
1–2
4 October 27 Sacramento L 107–110 Devin Booker (31) Deandre Ayton (21) Booker, Paul (8) Footprint Center
14,678
1–3
5 October 30 Cleveland W 101–92 Devin Booker (27) Deandre Ayton (12) Chris Paul (10) Footprint Center
14,516
2–3
November: 16–0 (home: 8–0; road: 8–0)
Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location
Attendance
Record
6 November 2 New Orleans W 112–100 Mikal Bridges (22) Booker, Crowder (8) Chris Paul (18) Footprint Center
14,323
3–3
7 November 4 Houston W 123–111 Devin Booker (27) Deandre Ayton (11) Chris Paul (13) Footprint Center
15,058
4–3
8 November 6 Atlanta W 121–117 Devin Booker (38) Jae Crowder (8) Chris Paul (13) Footprint Center
15,412
5–3
9 November 8 @ Sacramento W 109–104 Cameron Payne (24) Devin Booker (9) Devin Booker (6) Golden 1 Center
13,566
6–3
10 November 10 Portland W 119–109 Frank Kaminsky (31) Booker, McGee (8) Chris Paul (7) Footprint Center
15,672
7–3
11 November 12 @ Memphis W 119–94 Booker, Crowder (17) Cameron Johnson (7) Chris Paul (12) FedExForum
15,886
8–3
12 November 14 @ Houston W 115–89 Devin Booker (26) Javale McGee (14) Devin Booker (6) Toyota Center
16,088
9–3
13 November 15 @ Minnesota W 99–94 Devin Booker (29) Deandre Ayton (12) Chris Paul (8) Target Center
16,279
10–3
14 November 17 Dallas W 105–98 Devin Booker (24) Deandre Ayton (13) Chris Paul (14) Footprint Center
18,055
11-3
15 November 19 Dallas W 112–104 Booker, Bridges (19) Deandre Ayton (17) Chris Paul (14) Footprint Center
17,071
12–3
16 November 21 Denver W 126–97 Cameron Johnson (22) Deandre Ayton (8) Chris Paul (10) Footprint Center
16,072
13–3
17 November 22 @ San Antonio W 115–111 Devin Booker (23) Deandre Ayton (14) Landry Shamet (5) AT&T Center
14,715
14–3
18 November 24 @ Cleveland W 120–115 Devin Booker (35) JaVale McGee (12) Chris Paul (12) Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse
18,055
15–3
19 November 26 @ New York W 118–97 Devin Booker (32) Deandre Ayton (13) Chris Paul (10) Madison Square Garden
19,812
16–3
20 November 27 @ Brooklyn W 113–107 Devin Booker (30) JaVale McGee (10) Chris Paul (11) Barclays Center
18,071
17–3
21 November 30 Golden State W 104–96 Deandre Ayton (24) Deandre Ayton (11) Chris Paul (5) Footprint Center
17,071
18–3
December: 9–5 (home: 7–2; road: 2–3)
Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location
Attendance
Record
22 December 2 Detroit W 114–103 Johnson, Payne (19) Deandre Ayton (12) Chris Paul (12) Footprint Center
16,081
19–3
23 December 3 @ Golden State L 96–118 Deandre Ayton (23) JaVale McGee (7) Chris Paul (8) Chase Center
18,064
19–4
24 December 6 San Antonio W 108–104 Chris Paul (21) Ayton, Bridges (9) Chris Paul (10) Footprint Center
15,292
20–4
25 December 10 Boston W 111–90 JaVale McGee (21) JaVale McGee (15) Chris Paul (12) Footprint Center
17,071
21–4
26 December 13 @ L.A. Clippers L 96–111 Cameron Johnson (17) JaVale McGee (13) Chris Paul (8) Staples Center
17,909
21–5
27 December 14 @ Portland W 111–107 (OT) Deandre Ayton (28) Deandre Ayton (13) Chris Paul (14) Moda Center
16,184
22–5
28 December 16 Washington W 118–98 JaVale McGee (17) Deandre Ayton (10) Cameron Johnson (5) Footprint Center
16,177
23–5
29 December 19 Charlotte W 137–106 JaVale McGee (19) Deandre Ayton (15) Chris Paul (9) Footprint Center
17,071
24–5
30 December 21 @ L.A. Lakers W 108–90 Devin Booker (24) Deandre Ayton (11) Chris Paul (9) Staples Center
18,997
25–5
31 December 23 Oklahoma City W 113–101 Devin Booker (30) Deandre Ayton (12) Booker, Paul (7) Footprint Center
17,071
26–5
32 December 25 Golden State L 107–116 Chris Paul (21) Ayton. McGee (7) Chris Paul (8) Footprint Center
17,071
26–6
33 December 27 Memphis L 103–104 Devin Booker (30) Jalen Smith (9) Chris Paul (13) Footprint Center
17,071
26–7
34 December 29 Oklahoma City W 115–97 Devin Booker (38) Jalen Smith (14) Cameron Payne (7) Footprint Center
17,071
27–7
35 December 31 @ Boston L 108–123 Devin Booker (22) Jalen Smith (7) Chris Paul (8) TD Garden
19,156
27–8
January: 13–1 (home: 5–1; road: 8–0)
Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location
Attendance
Record
36 January 2 @ Charlotte W 133–99 Devin Booker (24) Jalen Smith (12) Chris Paul (16) Spectrum Center
19,088
28–8
37 January 4 @ New Orleans W 123–110 Devin Booker (33) Devin Booker (9) Chris Paul (15) Smoothie King Center
15,158
29–8
38 January 6 L.A. Clippers W 106–89 Cameron Johnson (24) Jalen Smith (14) Chris Paul (10) Footprint Center
17,071
30–8
39 January 8 Miami L 100–123 Devin Booker (26) Deandre Ayton (8) Chris Paul (7) Footprint Center
17,071
30–9
40 January 11 @ Toronto W 99–95 Jae Crowder (19) Deandre Ayton (9) Chris Paul (12) Scotiabank Arena
0
31–9
41 January 14 @ Indiana W 112–94 Devin Booker (35) Ayton, Smith (12) Chris Paul (9) Gainbridge Fieldhouse
14,019
32–9
42 January 16 @ Detroit W 135–108 Devin Booker (30) Jae Crowder (11) Chris Paul (6) Little Caesars Arena
18,178
33–9
43 January 17 @ San Antonio W 121–107 Devin Booker (48) Bismack Biyombo (14) Chris Paul (12) AT&T Center
10,422
34–9
44 January 20 @ Dallas W 109–101 Devin Booker (28) Mikal Bridges (8) Chris Paul (11) American Airlines Center
19,584
35–9
45 January 22 Indiana W 113–103 Mikal Bridges (23) Bismack Biyombo (13) Chris Paul (16) Footprint Center
17,071
36–9
46 January 24 Utah W 115–109 Devin Booker (33) Bismack Biyombo (13) Chris Paul (14) Footprint Center
17,071
37–9
47 January 26 @ Utah W 105–97 Devin Booker (43) Devin Booker (12) Chris Paul (5) Vivint Arena
18,306
38–9
48 January 28 Minnesota W 134–124 Devin Booker (29) Bismack Biyombo (12) Chris Paul (14) Footprint Center
17,071
39–9
49 January 30 San Antonio W 115–110 Devin Booker (28) Bismack Biyombo (11) Chris Paul (19) Footprint Center
17,071
40–9
February: 9–3 (home: 5–2; road: 4–1)
Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location
Attendance
Record
50 February 1 Brooklyn W 121–111 Devin Booker (35) Mikal Bridges (8) Chris Paul (14) Footprint Center
17,071
41–9
51 February 3 @ Atlanta L 115–124 Devin Booker (32) Deandre Ayton (9) Chris Paul (12) State Farm Arena
16,958
41–10
52 February 5 @ Washington W 95–80 Deandre Ayton (20) Deandre Ayton (16) Chris Paul (9) Capital One Arena
18,058
42–10
53 February 7 @ Chicago W 127–124 Devin Booker (38) Jae Crowder (10) Chris Paul (11) United Center
20,615
43–10
54 February 8 @ Philadelphia W 114–109 Devin Booker (35) Jae Crowder (14) Chris Paul (12) Wells Fargo Center
20,720
44-10
55 February 10 Milwaukee W 131–107 Deandre Ayton (27) Crowder, Johnson (8) Chris Paul (19) Footprint Center
17,071
45–10
56 February 12 Orlando W 132–105 Devin Booker (26) Deandre Ayton (10) Chris Paul (15) Footprint Center
17,071
46–10
57 February 15 L.A. Clippers W 103–96 Devin Booker (26) Deandre Ayton (12) Chris Paul (14) Footprint Center
17,071
47–10
58 February 16 Houston W 124–121 Devin Booker (24) Deandre Ayton (9) Devin Booker (8) Footprint Center
17,071
48–10
All-Star Game
59 February 24 @ Oklahoma City W 124–104 Devin Booker (25) Ayton, McGee (8) Devin Booker (12) Paycom Center
14,176
49–10
60 February 25 New Orleans L 102–117 Devin Booker (30) Torrey Craig (11) Mikal Bridges (6) Footprint Center
17,071
49–11
61 February 27 Utah L 114–118 Devin Booker (30) Ayton, Booker, McGee (7) Devin Booker (7) Footprint Center
17,071
49–12
March: 13–2 (home: 5–1; road: 8–1)
Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location
Attendance
Record
62 March 2 Portland W 120–90 Cameron Johnson (20) JaVale McGee (9) Aaron Holiday (9) Footprint Center
17,071
50–12
63 March 4 New York W 115–114 Cameron Johnson (38) Jae Crowder (7) Cameron Payne (16) Footprint Center
17,071
51–12
64 March 6 @ Milwaukee L 122–132 Deandre Ayton (30) Deandre Ayton (8) Cameron Payne (8) Fiserv Forum
17,495
51–13
65 March 8 @ Orlando W 102–99 Ayton, Shamet (21) Deandre Ayton (19) Cameron Payne (12) Amway Center
14,024
52–13
66 March 9 @ Miami W 111–90 Devin Booker (23) JaVale McGee (15) Cameron Payne (10) FTX Arena
19,600
53–13
67 March 11 Toronto L 112–117 Cameron Payne (24) JaVale McGee (8) Devin Booker (7) Footprint Center
17,071
53–14
68 March 13 L.A. Lakers W 140–111 Devin Booker (30) Deandre Ayton (16) Cameron Payne (11) Footprint Center
17,071
54–14
69 March 15 @ New Orleans W 131–115 Devin Booker (27) Holiday, McGee (6) Booker, Payne (8) Smoothie King Center
16,789
55–14
70 March 16 @ Houston W 129–112 Devin Booker (36) Torrey Craig (14) Cameron Payne (11) Toyota Center
18,055
56–14
71 March 18 Chicago W 129–102 Devin Booker (28) Deandre Ayton (12) Cameron Payne (7) Footprint Center
17,071
57–14
72 March 20 @ Sacramento W 127–124 (OT) Devin Booker (31) Ayton, Craig (10) Aaron Holiday (7) Golden 1 Center
17,583
58–14
73 March 23 @ Minnesota W 125–116 Deandre Ayton (35) Deandre Ayton (14) Cameron Payne (9) Target Center
17,136
59–14
74 March 24 @ Denver W 140–130 Devin Booker (49) Deandre Ayton (7) Chris Paul (13) Ball Arena
19,520
60–14
75 March 27 Philadelphia W 114–104 Devin Booker (35) Deandre Ayton (12) Chris Paul (14) Footprint Center
17,071
61–14
76 March 30 @ Golden State W 107–103 Booker, Bridges (22) Deandre Ayton (16) Chris Paul (8) Chase Center
18,064
62–14
April: 2–4 (home: 1–1; road: 1–3)
Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location
Attendance
Record
77 April 1 @ Memphis L 114–122 Devin Booker (41) Ayton, McGee (12) Chris Paul (11) FedExForum
17,794
62–15
78 April 3 @ Oklahoma City L 96–117 Mikal Bridges (18) Landry Shamet (7) Chris Paul (9) Paycom Center
17,078
62–16
79 April 5 L.A. Lakers W 121–110 Devin Booker (32) Deandre Ayton (13) Chris Paul (12) Footprint Center
17,071
63–16
80 April 6 @ L.A. Clippers L 109–113 Ish Wainright (20) Bismack Biyombo (12) Aaron Holiday (7) Staples Center
19,068
63–17
81 April 8 @ Utah W 111–105 Devin Booker (33) Deandre Ayton (10) Chris Paul (16) Vivint Arena
18,306
64–17
82 April 10 Sacramento L 109–116 Landry Shamet (27) JaVale McGee (13) Holiday, Shamet, Lundberg (5) Footprint Center
17,071
64–18
2021–22 season schedule

Standings

Pacific DivisionWLPCTGBHomeRoadDivGP
zPhoenix Suns6418.78032–932–910–682
xGolden State Warriors5329.64611.031–1022–1912–482
piLos Angeles Clippers4240.51222.025–1617–249–782
Los Angeles Lakers3349.40231.021–2012–293–1382
Sacramento Kings3052.36634.016–2514–276–1082
Western Conference
#TeamWLPCTGBGP
1zPhoenix Suns *6418.78082
2yMemphis Grizzlies *5626.6838.082
3xGolden State Warriors5329.64611.082
4xDallas Mavericks5230.63412.082
5yUtah Jazz *4933.59815.082
6xDenver Nuggets4834.58516.082
7xMinnesota Timberwolves4636.56118.082
8piLos Angeles Clippers4240.51222.082
9xNew Orleans Pelicans3646.43928.082
10piSan Antonio Spurs3448.41530.082
11Los Angeles Lakers3349.40231.082
12Sacramento Kings3052.36634.082
13Portland Trail Blazers2755.32937.082
14Oklahoma City Thunder2458.29340.082
15Houston Rockets2062.24444.082

Playoffs

For the second straight year in a row, the Suns were in the NBA Playoffs after previously experiencing a decade-long drought from it that started back in the 2010–11 season. It is their first time they reached the Playoffs in back-to-back seasons since the Seven Seconds Or Less era from around the 2004–05 season until the 2007–08 season. The NBA also continued utilizing the play-in tournament set-up that first began in the 2020 NBA Bubble, with this season also being the second one in a row where the play-in tournament has the seventh and eighth best teams in each conference compete for the seventh seed in each conference and the ninth and tenth seeds compete for a shot at the eighth seed for each conference instead. However, this is the first full-length season that will feature the same play-in tournament experiment from the previous season at hand.

Game log

2022 playoff game log
Total: 7–6 (home: 5–2; road: 2–4)
First Round: 4–2 (home: 2–1; road: 2–1)
Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location
Attendance
Series
1 April 17 New Orleans W 110–99 Chris Paul (30) Deandre Ayton (9) Chris Paul (10) Footprint Center
17,071
1–0
2 April 19 New Orleans L 114–125 Devin Booker (31) Deandre Ayton (9) Chris Paul (14) Footprint Center
17,071
1–1
3 April 22 @ New Orleans W 114–111 Ayton, Paul (28) Deandre Ayton (17) Chris Paul (14) Smoothie King Center
18,962
2–1
4 April 24 @ New Orleans L 103–118 Deandre Ayton (23) Deandre Ayton (8) Chris Paul (11) Smoothie King Center
18,962
2–2
5 April 26 New Orleans W 112–97 Mikal Bridges (31) Deandre Ayton (10) Chris Paul (11) Footprint Center
17,071
3–2
6 April 28 @ New Orleans W 115–109 Chris Paul (33) Deandre Ayton (7) Chris Paul (8) Smoothie King Center
18,710
4–2
Conference Semifinals: 3–4 (home: 3–1; road: 0–3)
Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location
Attendance
Series
1 May 2 Dallas W 121–114 Deandre Ayton (25) Devin Booker (9) Devin Booker (8) Footprint Center
17,071
1–0
2 May 4 Dallas W 129–109 Devin Booker (40) Jae Crowder (7) Chris Paul (8) Footprint Center
17,071
2–0
3 May 6 @ Dallas L 94–103 Jae Crowder (19) Deandre Ayton (11) Devin Booker (8) American Airlines Center
20,077
2–1
4 May 8 @ Dallas L 101–111 Devin Booker (35) Deandre Ayton (11) Booker Paul (7) American Airlines Center
20,610
2–2
5 May 10 Dallas W 110–80 Devin Booker (28) Deandre Ayton (9) Chris Paul (10) Footprint Center
17,071
3–2
6 May 12 @ Dallas L 86–113 Deandre Ayton (21) Deandre Ayton (11) Mikal Bridges (5) American Airlines Center
20,777
3–3
7 May 15 Dallas L 90–123 Cameron Johnson (12) Javale McGee (6) Chris Paul (4) Footprint Center
17,071
3–4
2022 playoff schedule


Awards and records

Awards

Week/Month

All-Star

Records

Team records

Milestones

  • On October 30, 2021, Chris Paul tied Antawn Jamison as the 46th highest all-time scorer in NBA history with 16 points scored alongside 10 assists recorded in a 101–92 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers.
    • Two days later, on November 2, Paul overtook not just Jamison, but also former Suns player Tom Chambers' position to become the 45th highest all-time scorer in NBA history. He also overtook both Mark Jackson and former Suns player Steve Nash's positions for the all-time assist leaders to become the new third highest assist creator in league history behind only former Suns player Jason Kidd and John Stockton, finishing the night with a double-double of 14 points and 18 assists in a 112–100 win over the New Orleans Pelicans.

Team milestones

  • On October 30, 2021, Devin Booker overtook Phoenix Suns Ring of Honor member (and former assistant coach) Dan Majerle to become the second-greatest three-point shooter in franchise history, making two three-pointers to also break through the 800 made three-point shots barrier in a blowout loss to the Portland Trail Blazers.
  • On November 6, Devin Booker overtook Phoenix Suns Ring of Honor member (and former head coach) Paul Westphal to become the team's newest eighth highest scorer in franchise history. He finished the night off with a current season-high of 38 points in a 121–117 win over the Atlanta Hawks.
    • He also tied Amar'e Stoudemire for overall field goal attempts with the team by attempting 21 shots that night, tying Stoudemire at eighth for most field goal attempts in franchise history. Booker later surpassed him two days later on November 8 against the Sacramento Kings, while also being the 12th player in franchise history to break the 14,000 minutes played barrier with the Suns.

Injuries/Personal missed games

Player Duration Reason(s) for missed time Games missed
Start End
Dario Šarić July 6, 2021 Unknown Tore the ACL in his right knee during Game 1 of the 2021 NBA Finals. ??
Cameron Payne October 23, 2021 November 6, 2021 Right hamstring strain during the road Lakers game. 5
Deandre Ayton November 2, 2021 November 4, 2021 Right leg contusion during the home Cavaliers game. 1
Deandre Ayton November 6, 2021 Unknown Lower right leg bruise during the home Rockets game. ?

Transactions

Trades

July 29, 2021 To Phoenix Suns
Landry Shamet
To Brooklyn Nets
Jevon Carter
Draft rights to #29 pick Day'Ron Sharpe
February 10, 2022 To Phoenix Suns
Torrey Craig
Cash Considerations
To Indiana Pacers
Jalen Smith
2022 second round pick
February 10, 2022 To Phoenix Suns
Aaron Holiday
To Washington Wizards
Cash Considerations

Free agents

Re-Signed

Player Signed Date
Chris Paul Signed 4-year partially guaranteed deal worth $120 Million[a] August 6, 2021
Cameron Payne Signed 3-year partially guaranteed deal worth $19 Million[b] August 6, 2021
Abdel Nader Signed 2-year partially guaranteed deal worth $4,200,000
(Officially gained only $2,000,000 through this season.)[c]
August 6, 2021
Frank Kaminsky III Signed 1-year deal worth $2,239,544 August 9, 2021
Mikal Bridges Signed 4-year contract extension worth $90 Million October 17, 2021
Landry Shamet Signed 4-year partially guaranteed contract extension worth $43 Million[d] October 18, 2021

^ a: Despite the length of the deal, only the first two years of Chris Paul's deal fully guarantee him up to $60 million total. However, his third season in that deal is only partially guaranteed for him, while his fourth and final season includes a team option that is not guaranteed for Paul.
^ b: For Cameron Payne's third and final year, he is only guaranteed $2,000,000 out of the $6,500,000 he could receive that season.
^ c: Abdel Nader's second year had a team option on whether he'd be back by then on that same deal (which would have had a value of $2,200,000 in that season) or not. However, Nader would not make it to the end of his first season back with the Suns due to the same serious injuries that affected his long-term performance last season coming back to harm him this season. This combined with the Suns reacquiring Torrey Craig via trade led to Nader being waived from the team on February 10, 2022.
^ d: For Landry Shamet's final year of his contract, that year is not fully guaranteed for him.

Additions

Player Signed Former team(s)
Elfrid Payton Signed 1-year deal worth $2,389,641 New York Knicks
JaVale McGee Signed 1-year deal worth $5 Million Denver Nuggets
Chandler Hutchison Signed a two-way contract worth $462,629[e] San Antonio Spurs / Washington Wizards[f]
Ishmail Wainright Signed a two-way contract worth $462,629[e] France SIG Strasbourg / Canada Toronto Raptors[g]
Emanuel Terry Signed a 10-day contract under COVID-19 hardship rules[h] Stockton Kings
M.J. Walker Signed a 10-day contract under COVID-19 hardship rules[h] Westchester Knicks
Paris Bass Signed two 10-day contracts under COVID-19 hardship rules[h][i] South Bay Lakers
Bismack Biyombo Signed 10-day / 1-year contract worth $1,366,392[h][j] Charlotte Hornets
Justin Jackson Signed two 10-day contracts under COVID-19/injury hardship rules worth $205,662[h][k] Boston Celtics / Texas Legends[l]
Gabriel Lundberg Signed two-way contract worth $462,629 Russia PBC CSKA Moscow[m]

^ e: As of the 2020–21 season, two-way contracts now have their salaries at six-digit figures instead of the initially planned five-digit salaries planned back when two-way contracts were first created for the NBA. That means instead of earning what would have been $84,414 for only 45 days in the NBA (excluding the early and later parts of the regular season, regardless of whether they played or not) this season, two-way contracts like Chandler Hutchison and Ishmail Wainright can now earn half of this season's rookie scaled minimum contract (which is $462,629 for this season) while being eligible to play for the entire regular season (but not the NBA Playoffs this season). Players like Hutchison and Wainright are also eligible to play for the 2021–22 NBA G League season for the affiliate team they've signed up for. However, since the Suns officially joined the Portland Trail Blazers as the only team without an NBA G League affiliate team as of this season, any team that isn't the NBA G League Ignite will be eligible for Hutchison and Wainright to join up with for the NBA G League this season, so long as the Suns themselves agree to the team(s) they join up with for this season. Hutchison later played for the Santa Cruz Warriors, affiliate of the Golden State Warriors, during the regular season, while Wainright has ultimately stayed with Phoenix throughout the entirety of his two-way contract.
^ f: Chandler Hutchison was originally last a part of the San Antonio Spurs from August 6 to September 4, 2021 as a part of a very rare five-team trade that also featured the Washington Wizards, Indiana Pacers, Brooklyn Nets, and Los Angeles Lakers. However, he last played for the Washington Wizards as a part of the squad that made it to the 2021 NBA Playoffs after once being considered the worst Eastern Conference team earlier in the season. Even so, because his final year on his previous contract was fully guaranteed due to him being a first-round draft pick back in 2018, he will still receive the full $4,019,459 he was originally going to receive from San Antonio in addition to the two-way contract salary Hutchison is going to get in Phoenix.
^ g: Ishmail Wainright previously last officially played for the SIG Strasbourg in France's LNB Pro A league before signing a two-year non-guaranteed deal with the Toronto Raptors on August 7, 2021, though he was later waived by the end of the preseason on October 17. Wainright was then given a two-way contract with the Suns five days later on October 22, giving him a guaranteed shot to play in the NBA for the first time ever with Phoenix, which ended up occurring a month later in November during their 18-game winning streak.
^ h: From December 20, 2021 until January 17, 2022, the NBA implemented temporary updates to their hardship exception rules to accommodate the amount of players being infected by COVID-19 and its other variants during the winter months of the season. Players signed under those rules in that time received money from their 10-day contracts like they normally would, but they did not count toward each team's salary cap space in that period of time. For the Suns, the update resulted in the necessity of re-signing Emanuel Terry onto the team again on December 27, 2021 after he previously played for Phoenix in the 2018–19 season, as well as using additional 10-day contract signings for M.J. Walker and Paris Bass on December 30, 2021 following the announcements of Elfrid Payton (who later tested negative the following day after being announced as a positive test on December 26, 2021, only to confirm that he did have it after all on December 29, 2021), Jae Crowder, Deandre Ayton, JaVale McGee, and Abdel Nader all being infected with the virus near the end of December 2021. The Suns then signed former Charlotte Hornets center Bismack Biyombo at the start of January 2022, with Biyombo eventually being more of a long-term stay for the team by comparison to the other 10-day contracts signed in that time. Finally, the Suns signed 2021 NBA Finals champion Justin Jackson to his 10-day hardship exception contract on January 4, 2022 after it was confirmed that Landry Shamet got infected for it on that day.
^ i: Paris Bass earned himself a second 10-day contract with the Suns on January 12, 2022 due to him being the best performing 10-day contract on the team by the end of 2021 and the start of 2022 (outside of veteran players Bismack Biyombo and Justin Jackson) while also having a shot to potentially earn a two-way contract to replace Chandler Hutchison. Bass signed his second 10-day contract on January 15 due to not only Ishmail Wainright getting COVID-19, but concerns of Chris Paul being infected with COVID-19 once again before ultimately replacing Justin Jackson's position from the team in that period of time.
^ j: Bismack Biyombo later signed a one-year deal worth his veteran's minimum salary of $1,366,392 on January 11, 2022 after showcasing very positive results in his first two games played with Phoenix under his 10-day COVID-19 hardship exception contract.
^ k: Justin Jackson originally signed his first 10-day contract with the Suns in January 2022 due to a good amount of players being infected with COVID-19 at the time. While Jackson and the rest of the players that signed 10-day contracts got properly compensated for their time spent with the team, they did not come off of their salary cap due to the COVID-19 hardship exception rules implemented at the time. However, he later received a second 10-day contract with Phoenix in February 2022 due to the Suns dealing with many injuries at the time instead, which means that contract would come out of the team's salary cap for a bit this season. As such, his final salary received combines the salaries of his 10-day COVID-19 exception contract with his 10-day injury exception contract.
^ l: Justin Jackson originally last officially played for the Texas Legends during this season before he signed a 10-day COVID-19 hardship contract exception with the Boston Celtics on December 18, 2021. Once there, he played in only one game with two minutes of playing time for Boston before being one of four Celtics players to be hit with COVID-19 himself on Christmas Eve that year. However, Jackson would recover in time to sign a 10-day COVID-19 hardship exception with Phoenix by January 4, 2022 after previously returning to Texas with the Legends on December 29, 2021. Jackson then returned to the Texas Legends after his first 10-day contract expired before re-signing with the Suns in February 2022 with a second 10-day contract (this time fulfilling a hardship exception instead due to Cameron Payne (and Landry Shamet) being out alongside long-term injuries to Dario Šarić, Frank Kaminsky III, and Abdel Nader earlier on).
^ m: Originally, Gabriel Lundberg signed with the Suns on March 12, 2022 during the time the Russian invasion of Ukraine first began, which led to an early suspension for the PBC CSKA Moscow in the Euroleague and a brief suspension of Russian play. However, visa issues from getting out of Russia and then going from his home nation of Denmark to entering the United States of America resulted in him officially joining the Phoenix Suns on April 3, near the end of the regular season.

Subtractions

Player Reason left New team(s)
Jevon Carter Traded Brooklyn Nets / Milwaukee Bucks[m]
Torrey Craig Unrestricted free agent Indiana Pacers / Phoenix Suns[n]
Ty-Shon Alexander Waived two-way contract Italy Segafredo Virtus Bologna / Italy Allianz Pallacanestro Trieste[o]
E'Twaun Moore Unrestricted free agent Orlando Magic
Langston Galloway Unrestricted free agent Golden State Warriors / College Park Skyhawks / Brooklyn Nets / Milwaukee Bucks[p]
Chandler Hutchison Waived two-way contract Sioux Falls Skyforce
Emanuel Terry Waived 10-day COVID-19 hardship contract exception[q] Stockton Kings / France Orléans Loiret Basket[r]
M.J. Walker 10-day COVID-19 hardship exception contract expired Westchester Knicks
Paris Bass Two 10-day COVID-19 hardship exception contracts expired Phoenix Suns / South Bay Lakers[s]
Justin Jackson Two 10-day COVID-19/injury hardship exception contracts expired[t] Texas Legends / Phoenix Suns[u]
Jalen Smith Traded Indiana Pacers[n]
Abdel Nader Waived Unknown[v]
Frank Kaminsky III Waived Atlanta Hawks[w]

^ m: Originally, Jevon Carter was traded to the Brooklyn Nets as a part of an agreed upon deal during the 2021 NBA draft. However, Carter was waived later on in the season on February 20, 2022 in relation to the Nets acquiring former Suns point guard Goran Dragić. Carter was then acquired by the defending champion Milwaukee Bucks two days later.
^ n: Originally, Torrey Craig left the Phoenix Suns at the start of the 2021 free agency period in order to sign a guaranteed two-year deal worth $10 million with the Indiana Pacers that he would not have gotten with Phoenix at the time. However, by the February 10, 2022 trade deadline, the Pacers no longer viewed themselves as one of the more competitive teams in the Eastern Conference for this season, while the Suns saw themselves having enough room to take on Craig's new contract properly. As such, the Suns and Pacers agreed to a deal that saw Torrey Craig return to Phoenix in exchange for Jalen Smith (and his expiring rookie scale contract) and the Suns' 2022 second-round pick on that day.
^ o: Ty-Shon Alexander originally signed a two-year deal with the Segafredo Virtus Bologna of Italy's Lega Basket Serie A on September 7, 2021 after previously being waived by the Suns on August 27. However, he and the team agreed to waive that deal on February 15, 2022, with Alexander deciding to play for the Allianz Pallacanestro Trieste under a new contract later that same day.
^ p: Langston Galloway originally signed with the Golden State Warriors on September 24, 2021. However, he was waived from the team on October 9, failing to join them officially during the preseason period. Galloway then agreed to play for the College Park Skyhawks in the NBA G League for one game on December 14, 2021 before signing a 10-day hardship exception contract (relating to COVID-19 infections) with the Brooklyn Nets two days later. Galloway then signed a second 10-day contract with Brooklyn Nets on December 26, 2021 before the Nets decided not to sign him up for the rest of the season. Galloway then received a 10-day contract with the defending champion Milwaukee Bucks on January 7, 2022 before ultimately returning to College Park on January 21, 2022 after his 10-day contract expired there. Galloway also took part in Team U.S.A.'s qualification rounds for the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup in the month of February.
^ q: Emanuel Terry previously signed a 10-day contract with the Suns on December 27, 2021 as one of the first players to sign with the Suns through a temporary COVID-19 hardship exception. However, Terry would not get to see his contract all the way through the initially planned 10 days, as his 10-day contract got waived on January 4, 2022 alongside Chandler Hutchison's two-way contract in order for Phoenix to sign Justin Jackson to the team under what became their last new player to sign a 10-day hardship exception through means of COVID-19 infections by early January 2022.
^ r: After being waived by the Suns, Emanuel Terry originally returned to the Stockton Kings of the NBA G League on January 4, 2022 for the rest of the G League's season. However, on April 9, near the end of this season, Terry signed a deal with the Orléans Loiret Basket in France's LNB Pro A for the rest of their current season.
^ s: When Paris Bass' first 10-day contract expired on January 12, 2022, he waited for three days to sign his second 10-day hardship exception with the Suns. However, Bass did not play in his second contract with the Suns, thus leading to an early leave for him in order to return to the South Bay Lakers in the NBA G League.
^ t: Justin Jackson originally signed a 10-day contract on January 4, 2022 before it expired naturally 10 days later. However, due to constant injuries affecting the team throughout that month, the Suns signed Jackson again, this time under a 10-day injury exception contract, on February 1, 2022. The second 10-day contract, however, expired a day earlier than expected on February 10 due to their results in the trade deadline. The addition of Aaron Holiday combined with the return of Torrey Craig resulted in them releasing Jackson early and waiving Abdel Nader early in the season as well.
^ u: When Justin Jackson's first 10-day contract expired on January 14, 2022, he originally returned to play with the Texas Legends in the NBA G League once again. However, he later returned to the Suns on February 1, 2022 for a second 10-day contract with the team after leaving a positive enough impression the first time around for an injury reserve exception. Once that contract was up, however, Jackson returned to the Texas Legends for the rest of this season on
^ v: Due to Abdel Nader's injury, he did not sign with a new team this season. Furthermore, as of November 7, 2023, Nader has yet to sign with any new basketball team in general.
^ w: Due to Frank Kaminsky's injury, he did not sign with a new team this season. However, he did sign with the Atlanta Hawks on July 12, 2022.


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