The 1996–97 NBA season was the 29th season for the Phoenix Suns in the National Basketball Association. During the offseason, the Suns acquired Sam Cassell and Robert Horry from the Houston Rockets, and signed free agent Rex Chapman. After an 0–8 start, coach Cotton Fitzsimmons was replaced by former Suns guard Danny Ainge, who led the team to a 40–34 finish, along the way they were many in-season moves such as trading Cassell, second-year star Michael Finley and A. C. Green, to the Dallas Mavericks for future-superstar Jason Kidd, Loren Meyer and Tony Dumas and sending Horry, along with Joe Kleine, to the Los Angeles Lakers for former Suns forward Cedric Ceballos and Rumeal Robinson.

It was a season that would not be matched in terms of moves until both the 2014–15 and the 2015–16 seasons came and went. Still, the Suns finished fourth in the Pacific Division with a 40–42 record. This team would also be the first and only NBA team to start out the season with a 10+ losing streak, yet make it to the playoffs by the end of the season. Not only that, but they would also be the first team to record a 10+ game winning streak after recording a 10+ game losing streak earlier in the season. As the #7 seed in the Western Conference, the Suns faced the Seattle SuperSonics in the first round of the playoffs, losing 2–3 in a closely contested series. Following the season, Wesley Person was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers and Wayman Tisdale retired.

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