PHOENIX — Once Amir Coffey is acclimated to Phoenix, there’s a good chance he’ll be more comfortable with his Suns role than he was with the Milwaukee Bucks over the first 49 games of the season.
Coffey was acquired Thursday ahead of the NBA trade deadline, and said he hopes to get some run in Saturday’s game against the Philadelphia 76ers. He was dealt along with Bucks teammate Cole Anthony, who has not yet arrived in Phoenix.
“I got some physicals in yesterday,” Coffey said at shootaround Saturday. “Hopefully, I can go tonight, but you know, whatever their plan is.”
He appeared in 30 of 49 possible games (two starts) to begin the year, averaging a career-low 2.4 points per game and tying a career-low 8.8 minutes per game with his rookie campaign. But he’s been at his most impactful in the NBA when complementing star players, fitting in with defense and shooting.
Amir Coffey says he’s looking to bring switchability defensively and spacing on offense as he makes the transition from Milwaukee to Phoenix.
The guard came over to the Suns in a three-team trade that included the Chicago Bulls. pic.twitter.com/lc3c5Pb5ay
— Arizona Sports (@AZSports) February 7, 2026
While the Bucks are struggling to stay in contention for the play-in tournament, the Suns are a half-game out of avoiding the play-in entering Saturday at No. 7 in the Western Conference standings. Phoenix owns a three-game lead over the No. 8 Golden State Warriors.
A player like Coffey could prove vital for positioning in a postseason chase, as well as handling the stage once there.
His top two seasons in minutes came with Clippers squads that were playoff teams with defensive ratings in the top 10 of the NBA, including last year when he also shot a career-best 40.9% from 3.
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“I fit in great. I’ll be able to switch 1-through-4, 1-through-3, whatever they need,” Coffey said. “Guard different positions and kind of just work myself into how they play, like run-and-gun, everybody’s covering for each other, a little bit of tenacity in there. So, just getting terminology down and what we’re looking for, but I think it’s going to be good.”
Coffey said he’s got worksheets about the system and the verbiage it uses that he can study to get ahead of the curve before being thrown into the fire like he could be Saturday.
Dillon Brooks, a recent Western Conference Player of the Week, called Coffey’s addition much-needed.
“Got experience, and he’s played with great coaches like Ty Lue and Doc Rivers, so you know he’s always ready to mix it up down there,” Brooks said. “Another wing defender that we need and could shoot the basketball. Something that we need to help us with our diversity in our offense as well as our defense, too.”
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