RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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ESPN's NBA insiders project the Phoenix Suns will finish eighth in the Western Conference in the 2026-27 season with a 42-40 record.
The Suns are lumped into the "play-in" group with the Los Angeles Lakers , Portland Trail Blazers , Golden State Warriors and Utah Jazz .
6. Lakers (45-37).
7. Blazers (43-39).
8. Suns (42-40).
9. Warriors (35-47).
10. Jazz (34-48).
This prediction may need some tweaking after the news of Blazers guard Shaedon Sharpe suffering a torn meniscus in his right knee. ESPN's Shams Charania reported Sharpe will miss six months.
The timeline rules him out at least through January and possibly into February, depending on how his rehab goes.
Entering his fifth NBA season, Sharpe averaged a career-high 20.8 points last season in 50 games.
The Blazers could be a sleeper in the West with the emergence of Deni Avdija, the addition of Ja Morant via trade and the return of Damian Lillard, who missed all of last season with a left Achilles injury, but they will miss Sharpe for the majority of the season.
The Suns finished the 2025-26 regular season seventh in the West with a 45-37 record. They lost to the Blazers in the Nos. 7-8 game of the Play-In Tournament, but defeated the Warriors for the eighth seed in the Western Conference playoffs.
No. 1 Oklahoma City swept Phoenix in the first round.
The San Antonio Spurs stand atop ESPN's Western Conference predictions listed under "the contenders" group with the Denver Nuggets , Houston Rockets , Minnesota Timberwolves and Thunder.
The Spurs upset the Thunder in the conference finals last season in reaching the 2026 NBA Finals.
1. Spurs (62-20).
2. Thunder (60-22).
3. Nuggets (51-31).
4. Rockets (51-31).
5. Timberwolves (50-32).
The New York Knicks topped the Spurs in the finals in five games.
ESPN predicts the Knicks (53-29) will win the Eastern Conference followed by the Detroit Pistons (53-29), Cleveland Cavaliers (51-31), Philadelphia 76ers (50-32), Boston Celtics (48-34), Atlanta Hawks (47-35), Miami Heat (47-35), Toronto Raptors (45-37), Indiana Pacers (44-38) and Orlando Magic (44-38) rounding out the conference's top 10.
The Suns open the 2026-27 season Oct. 21 on the road against the Blazers.
Have opinions about the current state of the Suns? Reach Suns Insider Duane Rankin at [email protected] or contact him at 480-810-5518. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter, at @DuaneRankin .
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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: ESPN predicts Suns a play-in team again. Blazers suffer key injury
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