For two seasons, the Phoenix Suns did not have to worry about a starting power forward because they had Kevin Durant. That ended on July 7, when the supremely gifted scorer was shipped to the Houston Rockets for Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks and the draft picks that became Rasheer Fleming, Khaman Maluach and Koby Brea. That collective will get their opportunity to prove that the trade had fair value but they’ll have big shoes to fill.
In his Valley tenure, Durant averaged 26.8 points, 6.3 rebounds and 4.6 assists per game. In both seasons, he led the Suns in scoring.
Ranking Suns Starting Power Forward Options
With the 2025-26 regular season roughly a month away, Phoenix has multiple players who can start at power forward. Barring the unforeseen, none of them match Durant’s production. Still, they can all positively contribute to the team’s new-look frontcourt.
5. CJ Huntley
Signing a two-way contract with the Suns in July, CJ Huntley comes to Phoenix after four seasons at Appalachian State. His production on the glass steadily grew during his collegiate career, culminating in the 6-foot-11 big man averaging a career-high 8.1 rebounds per game as a senior.
Should he receive minutes in the NBA, Huntley would be in rare Mountaineer territory. Belus Smawley (1946-1952) is the only program alumnus to play in the NBA/ABA. That being said, Huntley would have a steep learning curve adjusting to the professional landscape after leaving a mid-major program.
In closing, it’s unlikely that he will start in any capacity. It would already be an amazing accomplishment for the 23-year-old to receive minutes this upcoming season.
4. Rasheer Fleming
Rasheer Fleming, selected 31st overall in the 2025 NBA Draft, is the only other rookie on this list. Similar to Huntley, he also played college ball at a mid-major: Saint Joseph’s. The New Jersey native averaged double-digit scoring figures in his last two seasons, breaking out with 14.7 points, 8.5 rebounds, 1.5 blocks and 1.4 steals per game in his third and final year.
As the goal of any game is to win, it’s worth mentioning that not only is Fleming younger than Huntley, his college team also did better last season. While the Mountaineers went 17-14, the Hawks went to the 2025 A-10 Tournament semifinals and qualified for the National Invitational Tournament (NIT) after amassing a 22-13 record.
The skinny on the 6-foot-9, 232-pound Fleming is that he showed versatility on both sides of the ball in college. He can do the same during his first NBA season.
3. Nigel Hayes-Davis
30-year-old combo forward Nigel Hayes-Davis is used to a starting role. Perhaps not in the NBA, but he’s been a star player for Turkey’s Fenerbahçe the past three seasons, leading the team to a European Basketball Triple Crown (Turkish Super League, Turkish Cup and EuroLeague championships) before departing.
Hayes-Davis does have NBA experience though. After going undrafted in 2017, he played a total of nine games for the Los Angeles Lakers, Toronto Raptors and Sacramento Kings during the 2017-18 season. However, his production was as inconsistent as his workplace. At his best, he averaged 3.6 points, 4.4 rebounds and 21.0 minutes per game for the Kings. At his worst, he averaged 1.5 points and 5.5 minutes per game with the Lakers.
Hayes-Davis wasn’t viewed as a starter in his sole NBA season. In the seven years he’s been in Europe, he’s clearly improved. Nevertheless, as the depth chart currently stands, he might sit behind the Suns’ two returning power forwards.
2. Oso Ighodaro
The first player on this list to start for Phoenix last season, Oso Ighodaro shined as a rookie.
His numbers weren’t eye-catching as he averaged 4.2 points, 3.6 rebounds and 1.2 assists. He was also impotent, at least at the offensive end. To that point, there were only two games in which he notched 12 points, both of which were starts for the Marquette man. He logged fewer than five points in 37 games.
Ryan Dunn and Oso Ighodaro putting in work in Singapore
pic.twitter.com/v9UAMSsXMA
— DunnMuse (@DunnMuse0) July 7, 2025
With Durant gone, Suns first-year head coach Jordan Ott could turn to Ighodaro. After a year in the league, Ighodaro is now used to the grueling schedule and physicality of the NBA. This will give him an advantage over the rookies and Hayes-Davis.
However, Ighodaro struggled to consistently put the ball in the basket, which cratered his minutes. To avoid the same fate next season, he’ll have to catch fire more frequently than he did last season.
1. Royce O’Neale
Phoenix’s top power forward replacement for Durant is Royce O’Neale, who brings veteran experience and consistency to the role.
Last season, the eight-year veteran averaged 9.1 points, 4.7 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game. More importantly, he started in 22 games (out of 75). In his starts, O’Neale’s scoring wavered between single- and double-figures. His most promising outings came against the San Antonio Spurs (27 points) on Feb. 20 and the Miami Heat (23 points) on Dec. 7. Even when not starting, he would still land in double figures, leading to starter-like minutes as games progressed.
It’s still unknown whether O’Neale’s starts and offensive talent will lead to victories. The Suns went 1-3 when he scored at least 20 points in the 2024-25 campaign. Prior to that, he was 3-2 when scoring 20-plus points.
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