When it comes to true rivals that the Phoenix Suns have in the NBA, there is really only one. The Los Angeles Lakers. While the other team in Hollywood in the Clippers brought back Chris Paul – which seemed to bum out Devin Booker – and added Bradley Beal after he’d been bought out by Phoenix, it is the Lakers who will always the most hated opposition.
There’s too much shared history there, and it is one that the purple and gold have come out on top of countless times. In fact it is fair to wonder if this is actually a rivalry at all, given the Suns have never won a championship and haven’t stopped the Lakers from achieving that goal nearly enough times throughout their history.
Luka Doncic extension complicates Suns’ 2026 offseason.
The Lakers received yet more good news on Saturday, as superstar Luka Doncic agreed to a three-year, $165 million extension with the franchise who somehow stole him from the Dallas Mavericks at the deadline last season. This news didn’t come as a surprise, although the shape Doncic appears to have gotten himself into sure has caught some people off guard.
This now keeps Doncic out of free agency next summer and committed to the Lakers — and makes him eligible for a projected five years and $417 million in 2028. https://t.co/V10h5cdxDe
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) August 2, 2025