3 Phoenix Suns who definitely won’t be back next season

Mar 13, 2023; San Francisco, California, USA; Phoenix Suns center Deandre Ayton (22) smiles after making a half court shot before the start of the game against the Golden State Warriors at the Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 13, 2023; San Francisco, California, USA; Phoenix Suns center Deandre Ayton (22) smiles after making a half court shot before the start of the game against the Golden State Warriors at the Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports /
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Mar 27, 2023; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Phoenix Suns guard Terrence Ross (8) warms up before a game against the Utah Jazz at Vivint Arena. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 27, 2023; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Phoenix Suns guard Terrence Ross (8) warms up before a game against the Utah Jazz at Vivint Arena. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-USA TODAY Sports /

The Phoenix Suns ended their season the same way as last year — a blowout loss. They have a talented roster but need to make some big changes.

With their season on the line, the Suns came out and laid a giant egg. They trailed by 30 at the end of the first half, drawing boos from their home crowd, before eventually seeing their season end with a 125-100 loss. The Nuggets are headed to the Western Conference Finals, the Suns are headed back to the drawing board.

Devin Booker was the best player on the court for a good portion of this postseason and they still have Kevin Durant. But Chris Paul has become a question mark and they clearly need to rebuild their depth after sending so many players out to acquire Durant. That may mean retaining some key contributors but also cutting loose some players who weren’t working out.

These three Phoenix Suns definitely won’t be back:

3. Terrence Ross

Ross joined the Suns in February after being bought out by the Orlando Magic and, on paper, looked like a tremendous pick-up as added wing depth with his floor spacing and microwave scoring ability. However, Ross was only lightly used down the stretch of the regular season and shot just 34.7 percent from beyond the arc. He only appeared in six postseason games, for a total of 69 minutes, and similarly struggled — shooting 6-of-22 on 3-pointers.

It’s possible the Suns may have interest in bringing Ross back but given how he was used, he may prefer to try and find another playoff team with more minutes and more shot attempts available for him.