5 big offseason questions for the Phoenix Suns
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
What's next for Bradley Beal? That's one of several questions the Phoenix Suns' front office needs to answer this offseason. Photo: Kate Frese/NBAE via Getty Images
The long, slow death of the Phoenix Suns' season is finally complete. Now comes the harder part: figuring out where the distressed franchise goes from here.
Catch up quick: It was just four years ago that the Suns made the NBA Finals and seemed to be a team with nothing but momentum.
- Since then, the Suns got a new, gutsier owner in Mat Ishbia who secured blockbuster trades for Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal.
- Along with Devin Booker, they were to become the "big three" powerhouse that would finally deliver the first-ever NBA championship to the Valley.
Reality check: Instead, we got the league's highest payroll, three disappointing seasons and unfavorable first-round draft options through 2030.
What's next: We — and every NBA analyst in the country — have no idea how the Suns should regroup. But these are the questions we'll be asking this offseason:
Should Budenholzer get another chance?
The Suns could dismiss head coach Mike Budenholzer, which would make him the third axed in three seasons.
- "It's raw. We just lost; it's been a tough season. There's been no conversations," Budenholzer told reporters when asked Wednesday if he'd spoken with Ishbia about his future.
- Hoops Wire reported last month that the Suns were considering firing Budenholzer to appease Durant and Booker, with whom he has rocky relationships.
Will we say goodbye to Durant?
It seems increasingly likely that we've seen superstar Durant don purple and orange for the last time, the Arizona Republic reported.
- The Timberwolves, Knicks, Rockets, Spurs and Heat have all expressed interest in acquiring him, ESPN reported earlier this month.
- If the Suns ink a deal with the Knicks, it's possible that fan-favorite Mikal Bridges (who the Suns traded away as part of the 2023 Durant deal) could come back to the Valley.
Can we drop Beal?
The Beal trade is largely considered to be Ishbia's worst deal: He's expensive, lacks chemistry with Booker or Durant, has been plagued with injuries and holds a no-trade clause that makes it almost impossible to be rid of him.
- Any trade would require Beal's buy-in, and he's made clear that the deal would have to be pretty sweet.
- "I hold all the cards," he told reporters in January amid speculation that the Suns were courting a trade deal with the Miami Heat. "Until I'm addressed ... then I'll be a Sun."
Booker will stay a Sun — right?
Ishbia told reporters last month that Booker, who has spent his entire career with the Suns, isn't going anywhere. But if the franchise can't find a way to offload Beal, there might not be another option, analysts have speculated.
- The Athletic's John Hollinger writes that the Suns' only hope of getting out of their current mess is to trade both Durant and Booker, reload on draft picks and start "all the way over."
Does Ishbia reset his strategy?
Suns fans swooned when Ishbia arrived and took risks that former owner Robert Sarver never would. Now, many want him to stop looking for quick fixes and adopt a more patient rebuilding approach.