The 1995–96 Phoenix Suns season was the 28th season for the Phoenix Suns of the National Basketball Association. Head coach Paul Westphal, who had led the Suns to the 1993 NBA Finals, went 14–19 before being replaced by Cotton Fitzsimmons, who would come on to coach in his third stint with the Suns. They finished fourth in the Pacific Division, and seventh in the Western Conference with a 41-41 record. The Suns were eliminated from the playoffs by the San Antonio Spurs, three games to one, in the Western Conference first round. All home games were played at America West Arena. They were one of the nine teams to defeat the 72-10 Chicago Bulls.
Charles Barkley led the Suns for the fourth consecutive year in both points and rebounds, averaging 23.2 and 11.6 on the season. point guard Kevin Johnson again led the team in assists, averaging 9.2 per game to go with his 18.7 points per game. Michael Finley, a rookie from Wisconsin, who appeared in all 82 regular season games, was third in scoring, averaging 15 points per game, 39.2 minutes per game, and was later named to the All-Rookie First Team. Despite playing all 82 games, Finley went injured on the final day of regular season, and did not play in any of the Suns' playoffs games.
Barkley made his 10th consecutive All-Star Game. The power forward, who had turned 33 years of age during the season, made his 11th All-NBA Team, appearing as a selection on the Third Team. It was the first time in Barkley's career he had not been selected to the First or Second Team. Following the season, Barkley was traded to the Houston Rockets.
Offseason
NBA Draft
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The Suns received the 21st pick from a trade with the Los Angeles Lakers in 1994. With the pick they would select future All-Star swingman Michael Finley from Wisconsin. Finley averaged 18.7 points, 5.6 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game in four years with the Badgers. On October 4, the Suns signed Finley to a three-year rookie contract for $2.17 million. In his rookie season, Finley would average 15.0 points, 4.6 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.0 steal per game, earning All-Rookie First Team honors. Finley was traded to the Dallas Mavericks midway through his sophomore season for All-Star point guard Jason Kidd.
The Suns used their first-round pick to select small forward Mario Bennett from Arizona State. Bennett averaged 15.7 points and 7.8 rebounds per game in three years with the Sun Devils. On October 4, the Suns signed Bennett to a three-year rookie contract for $1.66 million. Bennett underwent knee surgery before the season and remained on the injured reserve until March 1. Bennett would appear in just 19 regular season games, starting in 14 due to injuries, and two playoff games before being waived prior to the 1996–97 season.
The Suns used their second-round pick to select shooting guard Chris Carr from Southern Illinois. Carr averaged 13.5 points and 5.8 rebounds per game in three years with the Salukis. On October 2, the Suns signed Carr to a one-year rookie contract for $200,000. Carr appeared in 60 regular season games, starting in ten, and three playoff games. Carr would sign as a free agent with the Minnesota Timberwolves after the season.
Roster
| Phoenix Suns roster |
| Players |
Coaches |
| Pos. |
# |
Nat. |
Name |
Height |
Weight |
DOB (Y-M-D) |
From |
| PF |
34 |
 |
Barkley, Charles |
6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) |
252 lb (114 kg) |
1963–02–20 |
Auburn |
| PF |
8 |
|
Bennett, Mario |
6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) |
235 lb (107 kg) |
1973–08–01 |
Arizona State |
| SG |
43 |
|
Carr, Chris |
6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) |
207 lb (94 kg) |
1974–03–12 |
Southern Illinois |
| C |
40 |
|
Coker, John |
7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) |
253 lb (115 kg) |
1971–10–28 |
Boise State |
| SF |
4 |
|
Finley, Michael  |
6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) |
215 lb (98 kg) |
1973–03–06 |
Wisconsin |
| PF |
45 |
|
Green, A. C. |
6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) |
220 lb (100 kg) |
1963–10–04 |
Oregon State |
| PG |
7 |
|
Johnson, Kevin |
6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) |
180 lb (82 kg) |
1966–03–04 |
California |
| C |
35 |
|
Kleine, Joe |
6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) |
255 lb (116 kg) |
1962–01–04 |
Arkansas |
| PF |
15 |
|
Manning, Danny |
6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) |
230 lb (104 kg) |
1966–05–17 |
Kansas |
| PG |
2 |
|
Perry, Elliot |
6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) |
150 lb (68 kg) |
1969–03–28 |
Memphis |
| SG |
11 |
|
Person, Wesley |
6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) |
195 lb (88 kg) |
1971–03–28 |
Auburn |
| PG |
14 |
|
Rencher, Terrence |
6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) |
185 lb (84 kg) |
1973–02–19 |
Texas |
| PF |
23 |
|
Tisdale, Wayman |
6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) |
240 lb (109 kg) |
1964–06–09 |
Oklahoma |
| C |
18 |
|
Williams, John |
6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) |
215 lb (98 kg) |
1962–08–09 |
Tulane |
|
- Head coach
- Assistant coach(es)
- Legend
- (C) Team captain
- (DP) Unsigned draft pick
- (FA) Free agent
- (S) Suspended
- Injured
|
Depth chart
Regular season
Standings
Playoffs
Game log
Awards and honors
Week/Month
- Kevin Johnson was named Player of the Week for games played April 1 through April 7.
- Charles Barkley was named Player of the Month for February.
All-Star
Season
Injuries/Missed Games
Player statistics
Season
* - Stats with the Suns.
† - Minimum 300 field goals made.
^ - Minimum 82 three-pointers made.
# - Minimum 125 free-throws made.
Playoffs
Transactions
Trades
Free agents
Additions
| Date |
Player |
Contract |
Former Team |
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|
Stefano Rusconi |
Signed multi-year contract |
|
| September 22, 1995 |
Elliot Perry |
Signed 6-year contract for $12 million |
Phoenix Suns |
| September 25, 1995 |
John Coker |
Undisclosed |
|
| October 3, 1995 |
Orlando Smart |
Undisclosed |
|
| October 3, 1995 |
Steve Turner |
Undisclosed |
|
| October 4, 1995 |
Isaac Burton |
Undisclosed |
|
| October 4, 1995 |
Wayman Tisdale |
Signed 2-year contract for $6.65 million |
Phoenix Suns |
| October 12, 1995 |
Danny Manning |
Signed 6-year contract for $40 million |
Phoenix Suns |
| November 1, 1995 |
Tony Smith |
Signed 1-year contract for $500,000 |
Los Angeles Lakers |
| January 18, 1996 |
David Wood |
Signed 10-day contract |
Golden State Warriors |
Subtractions
References
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United States
