Thunder Complete Sweep; Suns Face Key Roster Choices After Surprising Season
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The Phoenix Suns exited the 2026 playoffs on Monday night, falling at home to the Oklahoma City Thunder and becoming the first of this year’s 16 postseason teams to be eliminated. Oklahoma City’s 118-104 victory capped a 4-0 first-round sweep—its third straight conference-quarterfinal sweep—and pushed head coach Mark Daigneault’s record in first-round games to 12-0.
Season exceeded projections despite late skid
Phoenix finished the regular season 45-37 after opening the year with a widely publicized over/under of 31.5 wins. The club stumbled after Feb. 1, posting a combined 16-23 mark that included play-in and playoff contests, a slide players and coaches attributed in part to injuries.
“We were counted out. We were supposed to be a laughingstock,” forward Dillon Brooks said after Monday’s loss. “We proved a lot of people wrong.”
Head coach Jordan Ott, hired last summer, called the campaign “something to be proud of,” while star guard Devin Booker acknowledged mixed emotions. “We exceeded everybody else’s expectations, but not ours,” Booker said.
Ott earns praise in Year 1
Several players credited Ott for establishing stability and chemistry in his first season on the bench. Booker called the year “a building block” the franchise had been missing.
Booker’s quiet series
Booker never scored more than 24 points in any game against the league-best Thunder defense and hit only 5-of-20 attempts from three-point range (25.0%).
Gillespie, other free agents headline offseason
Guard Collin Gillespie, who signed a one-year minimum deal last summer, averaged career highs of 12.7 points, 4.6 assists and 4.1 rebounds across 80 games (58 starts). The 25-year-old said his confidence “is soaring” as he heads into free agency and confirmed “good conversations” with the Suns about a new contract.
Phoenix must also decide whether to bring back guard Jordan Goodwin and center Mark Williams. Brooks becomes extension-eligible this summer, with a four-year deal worth up to $125.4 million possible.
Legal matter resolved
A discrimination lawsuit filed by former security employee Gene Traylor against the Suns was dismissed with prejudice, ending the case.
The Suns will now pivot to roster decisions aimed at building on a season that surpassed external expectations but ended without a playoff win.
Source: Hoops Rumors
