# 1997–98 Phoenix Suns season

The 1997–98 NBA season was the 30th season for the Phoenix Suns in the National Basketball Association. In the off-season, the Suns acquired Antonio McDyess from the Denver Nuggets in a three-team trade, and signed free agents Clifford Robinson, and George McCloud. The team also signed former Suns, and All-Star forward Tom Chambers, who played for the team from 1988 to 1993, and also appeared in the 1993 NBA Finals; however, he was out with a lower strained back injury before the regular season began. In November, Chambers got into trouble after punching Suns strength and conditioning coach Robin Pound during an altercation, and was soon traded to the Philadelphia 76ers in exchange for Slovenian rookie forward Marko Milič; Chambers would play one game for the 76ers before retiring from the NBA in December.
Danny Ainge returned for his first full season as the Suns head coach, as they won nine of their first eleven games, which included a 140–139 quadruple overtime road win over the Portland Trail Blazers on November 14, 1997. The Suns continued to play competitive basketball holding a 31–15 record at the All-Star break. At mid-season, the team traded Cedric Ceballos to the Dallas Mavericks in exchange for three-point specialist Dennis Scott, as they posted a ten-game winning streak between March and April, winning eleven of their final twelve games of the season. The Suns posted a 56–26 record as members of the Pacific Division, finishing in third place in their division, and in fourth place in the Western Conference. All home games were played in America West Arena.
The team's top scorer Rex Chapman led the Suns with 15.9 points per game, and 120 three-point field goals, while McDyess averaged 15.1 points, 7.6 rebounds and 1.7 blocks per game, and Robinson provided the team with 14.2 points and 5.1 rebounds per game. In addition, Jason Kidd contributed 11.6 points, 6.2 rebounds, 9.1 assists and 2.0 steals per game; he also finished second in the league in assists, while sixth man Danny Manning averaged 13.5 points and 5.6 rebounds per game off the bench, and was named Sixth Man of the Year, but did not play in any of the Suns' playoff games due to a knee ligament. Meanwhile, Kevin Johnson only played in just 50 games, starting in just 12 of them due to tendinitis in his right knee, as he averaged 9.5 points and 4.9 assists per game, while also off the bench, second-year guard Steve Nash contributed 9.1 points and 3.4 assists per game, and McCloud contributed 7.2 points per game.
Kidd was the team's sole member to be selected for the 1998 NBA All-Star Game in New York City, New York, which was his second All-Star appearance; Kidd also finished tied in thirteenth place in Most Valuable Player voting, while Ainge finished tied in fifth place in Coach of the Year voting.
The Suns would make their tenth consecutive playoff appearance; in the Western Conference First Round, they faced off against the 5th-seeded San Antonio Spurs, who were led by David Robinson, and Rookie of the Year, Tim Duncan. Despite having home-court advantage in the series, the Suns would lose to the Spurs, three games to one.
Following the season, McDyess re-signed as a free agent with his former team, the Denver Nuggets, while Johnson retired after eleven seasons in the NBA, but would make a comeback late during the 1999–2000 season, Nash was traded to the Dallas Mavericks, Hot Rod Williams signed as a free agent with the Mavericks, Scott signed with the New York Knicks, and Mark Bryant was traded to the Chicago Bulls.

## Offseason
### NBA draft

| Round | Pick | Player | Position | Nationality | College |
| 2 | 43 | Stephen Jackson | SF/SG | United States | Butler CC |
The Suns used their only draft pick to select future star Stephen Jackson, who was waived before the start of the season. The Suns traded their first-round pick to the Cleveland Cavaliers in 1995 when they dealt Dan Majerle and Antonio Lang for John "Hot Rod" Williams.

## Roster
### Roster Notes

* Center Mike Brown did not play in any regular season games with the Suns this season, due to previously playing overseas in Italy. However, he was re-signed by the team on April 18, 1998, just one day before the final day of the regular season, and only played in one playoff game.
* Center Loren Meyer missed the entire season due to a back injury.

### Salaries

| Player | Salary |
| Kevin Johnson | $8,000,000 |
| Danny Manning | $6,833,333 |
| Jason Kidd | $5,223,333 |
| Hot Rod Williams | $4,550,000 |
| Antonio McDyess | $2,876,640 |
| Cedric Ceballos | $2,605,000 |
| Mark Bryant | $2,250,000 |
| Steve Nash | $1,053,360 |
| Clifford Robinson | $1,000,000 |
| Loren Meyer | $722,760 |
| Mario Bennett | $630,000 |
| Rex Chapman | $326,700 |
| Tom Chambers | $272,250 |
| George McCloud | $272,250 |
| Horacio Llamas | $272,250 |
| William Cunningham | $50,000 |
| Total | $36,937,876 |

## Regular season
### Standings

| Pacific Divisionvte | W | L | PCT | GB | Home | Road | Div |
| y-Seattle SuperSonics | 61 | 21 | .744 | – | 35–6 | 26–15 | 19–5 |
| x-Los Angeles Lakers | 61 | 21 | .744 | – | 33–8 | 28–13 | 16–8 |
| x-Phoenix Suns | 56 | 26 | .683 | 5 | 30–11 | 26–15 | 17–7 |
| x-Portland Trail Blazers | 46 | 36 | .561 | 15 | 26–15 | 20–21 | 14–10 |
| Sacramento Kings | 27 | 55 | .329 | 34 | 21–20 | 6–35 | 6–18 |
| Golden State Warriors | 19 | 63 | .232 | 42 | 12–29 | 7–34 | 6–18 |
| Los Angeles Clippers | 17 | 65 | .207 | 44 | 11–30 | 6–35 | 6–18 |
| # | Western Conferencevte | Western Conferencevte | Western Conferencevte | Western Conferencevte | Western Conferencevte |
| # | Team | W | L | PCT | GB |
| 1 | z-Utah Jazz | 62 | 20 | .756 | – |
| 2 | y-Seattle SuperSonics | 61 | 21 | .744 | 1 |
| 3 | x-Los Angeles Lakers | 61 | 21 | .744 | 1 |
| 4 | x-Phoenix Suns | 56 | 26 | .683 | 6 |
| 5 | x-San Antonio Spurs | 56 | 26 | .683 | 6 |
| 6 | x-Portland Trail Blazers | 46 | 36 | .561 | 16 |
| 7 | x-Minnesota Timberwolves | 45 | 37 | .549 | 17 |
| 8 | x-Houston Rockets | 41 | 41 | .500 | 21 |
| 9 | Sacramento Kings | 27 | 55 | .329 | 35 |
| 10 | Dallas Mavericks | 20 | 62 | .244 | 42 |
| 11 | Vancouver Grizzlies | 19 | 63 | .232 | 43 |
| 11 | Golden State Warriors | 19 | 63 | .232 | 43 |
| 13 | Los Angeles Clippers | 17 | 65 | .207 | 45 |
| 14 | Denver Nuggets | 11 | 71 | .134 | 51 |

### Record vs. opponents

1997-98 NBA Records :
| Team | ATL | BOS | CHA | CHI | CLE | DAL | DEN | DET | GSW | HOU | IND | LAC | LAL | MIA | MIL | MIN | NJN | NYK | ORL | PHI | PHO | POR | SAC | SAS | SEA | TOR | UTA | VAN | WAS |
| Atlanta | — | 2–1 | 4–0 | 1–3 | 4–0 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 2–2 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 1–3 | 2–0 | 0–2 | 1–3 | 3–1 | 0–2 | 1–2 | 2–2 | 2–2 | 3–1 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 4–0 | 0–2 | 2–0 | 4–0 |
| Boston | 1–2 | — | 1–2 | 1–3 | 1–3 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2–2 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 0–4 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 0–4 | 2–2 | 1–1 | 2–2 | 2–2 | 2–2 | 3–1 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 3–0 | 0–2 | 2–0 | 3–2 |
| Charlotte | 0–4 | 2–1 | — | 1–3 | 2–2 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 3–1 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 3–1 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 3–1 | 3–1 | 1–1 | 2–2 | 1–3 | 3–1 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 4–0 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 2–2 |
| Chicago | 3–1 | 3–1 | 3–1 | — | 2–2 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 3–1 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 2–2 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 4–0 | 1–1 | 4–0 | 4–0 | 3–1 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 4–0 | 0–2 | 2–0 | 3–1 |
| Cleveland | 0–4 | 3–1 | 2–2 | 2–2 | — | 1–1 | 2–0 | 3–1 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 2–2 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 1–3 | 2–2 | 2–0 | 3–1 | 1–2 | 2–2 | 3–1 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 3–1 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 1–2 |
| Dallas | 0–2 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 1–1 | — | 3–1 | 0–2 | 1–3 | 0–4 | 1–1 | 1–3 | 0–4 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 2–2 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 0–4 | 0–4 | 0–4 | 0–4 | 2–2 | 1–1 | 0–4 | 4–0 | 1–1 |
| Denver | 0–2 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 1–3 | — | 0–2 | 1–3 | 0–4 | 0–2 | 2–2 | 0–4 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 1–3 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 0–4 | 2–2 | 1–3 | 0–4 | 0–4 | 0–2 | 0–4 | 1–3 | 1–1 |
| Detroit | 2–2 | 2–2 | 1–3 | 1–3 | 1–3 | 2–0 | 2–0 | — | 2–0 | 1–1 | 1–3 | 2–0 | 0–2 | 1–2 | 2–2 | 0–2 | 2–2 | 2–2 | 1–2 | 3–1 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 4–0 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 2–2 |
| Golden State | 0–2 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 3–1 | 3–1 | 0–2 | — | 1–3 | 0–2 | 1–3 | 1–3 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 0–4 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 0–4 | 1–3 | 2–2 | 1–3 | 1–3 | 0–2 | 0–4 | 1–3 | 0–2 |
| Houston | 1–1 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 4–0 | 4–0 | 1–1 | 3–1 | — | 1–1 | 4–0 | 1–3 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 1–3 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 1–3 | 1–3 | 4–0 | 2–2 | 1–3 | 2–0 | 0–4 | 3–1 | 1–1 |
| Indiana | 3–1 | 4–0 | 1–3 | 2–2 | 2–2 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 3–1 | 2–0 | 1–1 | — | 2–0 | 0–2 | 3–1 | 4–0 | 2–0 | 2–1 | 2–1 | 3–1 | 4–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 4–0 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 4–0 |
| L.A. Clippers | 0–2 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 3–1 | 2–2 | 0–2 | 3–1 | 0–4 | 0–2 | — | 0–4 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 0–4 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 0–4 | 0–4 | 3–1 | 1–3 | 0–4 | 1–1 | 1–3 | 1–3 | 0–2 |
| L.A. Lakers | 2–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 4–0 | 4–0 | 2–0 | 3–1 | 3–1 | 2–0 | 4–0 | — | 1–1 | 2–0 | 4–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 2–2 | 2–2 | 4–0 | 4–0 | 1–3 | 2–0 | 3–1 | 4–0 | 1–1 |
| Miami | 3–1 | 4–0 | 1–3 | 1–2 | 3–1 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 2–1 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 1–3 | 2–0 | 1–1 | — | 3–1 | 1–1 | 3–1 | 2–2 | 3–1 | 4–0 | 0–2 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 4–0 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 2–2 |
| Milwaukee | 1–3 | 2–2 | 1–3 | 0–4 | 2–2 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 2–2 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 0–4 | 2–0 | 0–2 | 1–3 | — | 1–1 | 0–4 | 3–1 | 2–1 | 2–2 | 0–2 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 3–1 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 1–2 |
| Minnesota | 2–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 2–2 | 3–1 | 2–0 | 4–0 | 3–1 | 0–2 | 4–0 | 0–4 | 1–1 | 1–1 | — | 2–0 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 2–0 | 3–1 | 1–3 | 3–1 | 1–3 | 1–3 | 1–1 | 1–3 | 4–0 | 0–2 |
| New Jersey | 2–1 | 2–2 | 2–2 | 0–4 | 1–3 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 2–2 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 1–2 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–3 | 4–0 | 0–2 | — | 2–2 | 3–1 | 3–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 3–1 | 0–2 | 2–0 | 1–3 |
| New York | 2–2 | 2–2 | 3–1 | 0–4 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 2–2 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–2 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 2–2 | 1–3 | 1–1 | 2–2 | — | 4–0 | 2–2 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 3–1 | 0–2 | 2–0 | 1–3 |
| Orlando | 2–2 | 2–2 | 1–3 | 1–3 | 2–2 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 1–3 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 1–3 | 1–2 | 2–0 | 1–3 | 0–4 | — | 4–0 | 0–2 | 2–0 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 3–1 | 0–2 | 2–0 | 3–1 |
| Philadelphia | 1–3 | 1–3 | 1–2 | 1–2 | 1–3 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 1–3 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 0–4 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 0–4 | 2–2 | 0–2 | 1–3 | 2–2 | 0–4 | — | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 2–2 | 0–2 | 2–0 | 3–1 |
| Phoenix | 2–0 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 4–0 | 4–0 | 1–1 | 4–0 | 3–1 | 1–1 | 4–0 | 2–2 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 1–3 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 2–0 | 1–1 | — | 2–2 | 3–1 | 3–1 | 2–2 | 2–0 | 1–3 | 4–0 | 1–1 |
| Portland | 1–1 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 4–0 | 2–2 | 2–0 | 3–1 | 3–1 | 1–1 | 4–0 | 2–2 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 3–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 2–2 | — | 3–1 | 2–2 | 0–4 | 2–0 | 3–1 | 2–2 | 1–1 |
| Sacramento | 0–2 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 4–0 | 3–1 | 1–1 | 2–2 | 0–4 | 0–2 | 1–3 | 0–4 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 1–3 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 1–3 | 1–3 | — | 0–4 | 1–3 | 1–1 | 2–2 | 2–2 | 1–1 |
| San Antonio | 1–1 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 2–0 | 4–0 | 4–0 | 1–1 | 3–1 | 2–2 | 2–0 | 3–1 | 0–4 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 3–1 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 1–3 | 2–2 | 4–0 | — | 2–2 | 2–0 | 1–3 | 4–0 | 1–1 |
| Seattle | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 2–2 | 4–0 | 2–0 | 3–1 | 3–1 | 2–0 | 4–0 | 3–1 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 3–1 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 2–2 | 4–0 | 3–1 | 2–2 | — | 2–0 | 2–2 | 4–0 | 1–1 |
| Toronto | 0–4 | 0–3 | 0–4 | 0–4 | 1–3 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 0–4 | 2–0 | 0–2 | 0–4 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 0–4 | 1–3 | 1–1 | 1–3 | 1–3 | 1–3 | 2–2 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 0–2 | — | 0–2 | 1–1 | 0–3 |
| Utah | 2–0 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 4–0 | 4–0 | 2–0 | 4–0 | 4–0 | 1–1 | 3–1 | 1–3 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 3–1 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 3–1 | 1–3 | 2–2 | 3–1 | 2–2 | 2–0 | — | 4–0 | 0–2 |
| Vancouver | 0–2 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 0–4 | 3–1 | 2–0 | 3–1 | 1–3 | 0–2 | 3–1 | 0–4 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 0–4 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 0–4 | 2–2 | 2–2 | 0–4 | 0–4 | 1–1 | 0–4 | — | 1–1 |
| Washington | 0–4 | 2–3 | 2–2 | 1–3 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2–2 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 0–4 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 2–2 | 2–1 | 2–0 | 3–1 | 3–1 | 1–3 | 1–3 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 3–0 | 2–0 | 1–1 | — |

## Playoffs

Even with a 56–26 record, the Suns were the fourth seed in the West heading into the Playoffs. They would face the fifth-seeded San Antonio Spurs, headlined by star center David Robinson and Rookie of the Year forward Tim Duncan. Duncan led the Spurs to a game one upset in Phoenix, scoring 28 second-half points in a 102–96 victory. The Suns recovered to win game two 108–101. Antonio McDyess led the Suns with 21 points and 11 rebounds, while holding Duncan to 16 points with six turnovers. On the night he received the Rookie of the Year Award, Duncan again led the Spurs with 22 points, 14 rebounds and 3 blocks. Despite 26 points and 17 rebounds from McDyess, the Suns fell 88–100 and into a 1–2 series hole. The Spurs would clinch the series 3–1 in San Antonio, behind 30 points from Avery Johnson, 21 rebounds from Robinson, and 6 blocks from Duncan. McDyess pulled down 19 rebounds for the Suns, but shot only 5 of 14 from the field, while Kevin Johnson led the team with 18 points.

### Game log

1998 playoff game log :
First Round: 1–3 (home: 1–1; road: 0–2)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation AttendanceSeries
1
April 23
San Antonio
L 96–102
Kevin Johnson (18)
George McCloud (9)
Jason Kidd (11)
America West Arena 19,023
0–1
2
April 25
San Antonio
W 108–101
George McCloud (22)
Antonio McDyess (11)
Jason Kidd (10)
America West Arena 19,023
1–1
3
April 27
@ San Antonio
L 88–100
Antonio McDyess (26)
Antonio McDyess (17)
Johnson, Kidd (6)
Alamodome 20,486
1–2
4
April 29
@ San Antonio
L 80–99
Kevin Johnson (18)
Antonio McDyess (19)
Steve Nash (5)
Alamodome 27,528
1–3 :
1998 schedule :

## Awards and honors
### Week/Month

* Jason Kidd was named Player of the Week for games played March 8 through March 14.
* Jason Kidd was named Player of the Week for games played April 12 through April 18.

### All-Star

* Jason Kidd was selected as a reserve for the Western Conference in the All-Star Game. It was his second All-Star selection. Kidd finished fifth in voting among Western Conference guards with 305,834 votes.

### Season

* Danny Manning was awarded the Sixth Man of the Year Award.
* Jason Kidd finished in 13th place in MVP voting.

## Injuries/Missed games

* 10/28/97: George McCloud: Deep knee bruise; did not play
* 10/30/97: Loren Meyer: Lumbar spine surgery; placed on injured reserve for season
* 10/30/97: Tom Chambers; Strained lower back; placed on injured list until November 21
* 10/31/97: George McCloud: Concussion; did not play
* 11/20/97: Horacio Llamas: Strained lower back; placed on injured list until January 30
* 12/02/97: Kevin Johnson: Right knee tendinitis; out until December 11
* 12/09/97: George McCloud: Flu; did not play
* 12/09/97: Rex Chapman: Strained left hamstring; out until December 16
* 12/11/97: Kevin Johnson: Right knee tendinitis; placed on injured list until January 31
* 12/26/97: George McCloud: Thigh bruise; did not play
* 12/26/97: Brooks Thompson: Ill; did not play
* 12/29/97: Danny Manning: Abdominal strain; out until January 12
* 01/04/98: Jason Kidd: Sprained right ankle; left game
* 01/18/98: Hot Rod Williams; Flu, did not play
* 01/30/98: Cedric Ceballos: Strained right calf; placed on injured list until February 12
* 02/12/98: Horacio Llamas: Bruised left heel; placed on injured list until April 9
* 02/17/98: Rex Chapman: Sprained left ankle; did not play
* 02/22/98: Steve Nash: Did not play
* 03/05/98: Rex Chapman: Sore right foot; out until March 13
* 03/09/98: Antonio McDyess: Suspended one game for fighting Hakeem Olajuwon on March 7; did not play
* 03/13/98: Mark Bryant: Flu; out until March 17
* 03/25/98: Rex Chapman: Pulled right groin; out until April 4
* 04/06/98: Steve Nash: Did not play
* 04/09/98: Danny Manning: Injured right ACL; placed on injured list, out for season
* 04/18/98: Rex Chapman: Aggravated left hamstring; placed on injured reserve until April 23
* 04/23/98: Rex Chapman: Aggravated left hamstring; did not play
* 04/29/98: Rex Chapman: Aggravated left hamstring; did not play

## Player statistics
### Season

| Player | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
| Mark Bryant | 70 | 22 | 15.9 | .484 | .000 | .768 | 3.5 | 0.7 | .5 | .2 | 4.2 |
| Cedric Ceballos* | 35 | 16 | 17.9 | .500 | .300 | .714 | 4.3 | 1.0 | .6 | .2 | 9.5 |
| Rex Chapman | 68 | 67 | 33.3 | .427 | .386 | .781 | 2.5 | 3.0 | 1.0 | .2 | 15.9 |
| Kevin Johnson | 50 | 12 | 25.8 | .447 | .154 | .871 | 3.3 | 4.9 | .5 | .2 | 9.5 |
| Jason Kidd | 82 | 82 | 38.0 | .416 | .313 | .799 | 6.2 | 9.1 | 2.0 | .3 | 11.6 |
| Horacio Llamas | 8 | 0 | 5.3 | .381 | .333 | .700 | 2.3 | 0.1 | .1 | .4 | 3.0 |
| Danny Manning | 70 | 11 | 25.6 | .516 | .000 | .739 | 5.6 | 2.0 | 1.0 | .7 | 13.5 |
| George McCloud | 63 | 13 | 19.3 | .405 | .341 | .765 | 3.5 | 1.3 | .9 | .2 | 7.2 |
| Antonio McDyess | 81 | 81 | 30.1 | .536† | .000 | .702 | 7.6 | 1.3 | 1.2 | 1.7 | 15.1 |
| Marko Milič | 33 | 0 | 4.9 | .609† | .500^ | .647 | 0.8 | 0.4 | .3 | .0 | 2.8 |
| Steve Nash | 76 | 9 | 21.9 | .459 | .415^ | .860 | 2.1 | 3.4 | .8 | .1 | 9.1 |
| Clifford Robinson | 80 | 64 | 29.5 | .479 | .321 | .689 | 5.1 | 2.1 | 1.2 | 1.1 | 14.2 |
| Dennis Scott* | 29 | 3 | 17.0 | .438 | .449^ | .667 | 1.7 | 0.8 | .3 | .2 | 6.2 |
| Brooks Thompson* | 13 | 0 | 3.5 | .370 | .313 | .333 | 0.4 | 0.2 | .3 | .0 | 2.0 |
| John Williams | 71 | 30 | 18.8 | .470 | . | .699 | 4.4 | 0.7 | .5 | .8 | 3.6 |
* – Stats with the Suns. † – Minimum 300 field goals made. ^ – Minimum 55 three-pointers made.

### Playoffs

| Player | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
| Mike Brown | 1 | 0 | 1.0 | . | . | . | 0.0 | 0.0 | .0 | .0 | 0.0 |
| Mark Bryant | 4 | 1 | 23.3 | .500 | . | .500 | 5.8 | 0.3 | 1.0 | .5 | 10.0 |
| Rex Chapman | 2 | 2 | 29.0 | .261 | .000 | .857^ | 0.0 | 2.0 | 1.0 | .0 | 9.0 |
| Kevin Johnson | 4 | 1 | 30.5 | .548† | .250 | .667 | 2.3 | 4.8 | .5 | .2 | 13.8 |
| Jason Kidd | 4 | 4 | 42.8 | .379 | .000 | .813^ | 5.8 | 7.8 | 4.0 | .5 | 14.3 |
| George McCloud | 4 | 3 | 31.5 | .512 | .571 | .750 | 4.8 | 2.0 | .2 | .2 | 14.3 |
| Antonio McDyess | 4 | 4 | 36.8 | .477 | . | .643 | 13.3 | 1.0 | .5 | 1.5 | 17.8 |
| Marko Milič | 2 | 0 | 2.0 | .667† | . | . | 0.5 | 0.0 | .5 | .0 | 2.0 |
| Steve Nash | 4 | 1 | 12.8 | .444 | .200 | .625 | 2.5 | 1.8 | .5 | .0 | 5.5 |
| Clifford Robinson | 4 | 4 | 23.0 | .273 | .000 | .778 | 3.0 | 0.8 | .7 | .5 | 6.3 |
| Dennis Scott | 4 | 0 | 15.5 | .412 | .375 | . | 2.0 | 0.3 | .2 | .0 | 4.3 |
| John Williams | 3 | 0 | 11.0 | .286 | . | .667 | 1.3 | 0.3 | .0 | .7 | 2.0 |
† – Minimum 20 field goals made. ^ – Minimum 10 free throws made.

## Transactions
### Trades

| October 1, 1997 | To Denver Nuggets 1998 first-round draft pick ( Tyronn Lue) 1999 first-round draft pick ( James Posey) 2000 second-round draft pick ( Dan McClintock) 2001 first-round draft pick ( Joseph Forte) 2002 second-round draft pick ( Rod Grizzard) | To Phoenix Suns Antonio McDyess 2005 first-round draft pick ( Sean May) | To Cleveland Cavaliers Wesley Person Tony Dumas |
| November 21, 1997 | To Philadelphia 76ers Tom Chambers | To Phoenix Suns Marko Milič |
| February 18, 1998 | To Dallas Mavericks Cedric Ceballos | To Phoenix Suns Dennis Scott |

### Free agents
#### Additions

| Date | Player | Contract | Former Team |
| June 23, 1997 | Kevin Johnson | Signed one-year contract for $8,000,000 | Phoenix Suns |
| July 1, 1997 | Mark Bryant | Signed two-year contract for $4,300,000 | Phoenix Suns |
| July 8, 1997 | John "Hot Rod" Williams | Signed one-year contract for $4,550,000 | Phoenix Suns |
| July 8, 1997 | Rex Chapman | Signed one-year contract for $326,700 | Phoenix Suns |
| July 8, 1997 | Horacio Llamas | Signed one-year contract for $272,250 | Sioux Falls Skyforce |
| August 22, 1997 | Tom Chambers | Signed one-year contract for $272,250 | Charlotte Hornets |
| August 22, 1997 | William Cunningham | Undisclosed | n/a |
| August 25, 1997 | Clifford Robinson | Signed one-year contract for $1 million | Portland Trail Blazers |
| September 2, 1997 | George McCloud | Signed one-year contract for $272,250 | Los Angeles Lakers |
| December 11, 1997 | Brooks Thompson | Undisclosed | Denver Nuggets |
| January 9, 1998 | Brooks Thompson | Signed two 10-day contracts | Phoenix Suns |
| April 18, 1998 | Mike Brown | Signed for rest of season | Viola Reggio Calabria (Italy) |

#### Subtractions

| Date | Player | Reason Left | New Team |
| May 3, 1997 | Kevin Johnson | Retired | Phoenix Suns |
| July 1, 1997 | Wayman Tisdale | Free agent | n/a |
| July 1, 1997 | Mike Brown | Free agent | Viola Reggio Calabria (Italy) |
| September 29, 1997 | Ben Davis | Free agent | Miami Heat |
| October 13, 1997 | William Cunningham | Waived | Utah Jazz |
| October 30, 1997 | Stephen Jackson | Waived | La Crosse Bobcats (CBA) |
| January 7, 1998 | Brooks Thompson | Waived | Phoenix Suns |
| January 29, 1998 | Brooks Thompson | 10-day contract expired | New York Knicks |
Player Transactions Citation: