The Phoenix Suns have some of the best players in the NBA, including a four-time All-Star, a three-time All-Star, a championship-winning coach, and several skilled role players. However, their performance has been disappointing over the past two months.
The Suns started the season with high hopes of a championship, thanks to their Big 3 of Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, and Bradley Beal. But they are struggling with a 17-19 record as the season hits its midpoint.
General manager James Jones and owner Mat Ishbia now face a tough decision as the February 6 trade deadline approaches: should they stay the course, make small changes, or shake up the roster?
Here’s a look at the Suns’ situation:
The season so far
This past summer, the Suns hired Mike Budenholzer, a coach who won an NBA title with the Milwaukee Bucks in 2021. He replaced Frank Vogel, who led the Suns to a 49-33 record last season but was swept by the Timberwolves in the first round of the playoffs.
The coaching change seemed to work at first: Durant, Booker, and Beal were all healthy, and the Suns started the season 8-1. But in the ninth game, Durant injured his calf and was sidelined for a few weeks. After that, a series of smaller injuries to various players meant that Budenholzer had to constantly adjust his rotations.
Since that strong start, the Suns have gone 9-18, falling to 12th place in the Western Conference and outside of the playoff race.
So, what’s the problem?
While injuries have played a big part, other issues have also hurt the Suns.
The combination of Durant, Booker, and Beal hasn’t quite clicked over the past season and a half, even though each of them has had good individual performances. Recently, Budenholzer moved Beal to the bench to spread out the scoring, and Beal has had some solid games, though he hasn’t seemed particularly thrilled with the move.
“It’s something that is going to take some time,” Budenholzer said. “It’s like everything, there’s been some positives, there’s some things we got to work through and continue to just improve, but obviously it’s something we felt was good for the team and could help us.”
There’s also an issue with the post position. Starting center Jusuf Nurkic is averaging just 8.6 points, his lowest since he was 21 years old in 2016. Nurkic was moved to the bench and didn’t play at all in the Suns’ 123-115 win over the Hawks on Thursday.
Can they trade their way out of this mess?
That’s a tough question.
The Suns have one of the most expensive rosters in the league and very little room to make moves. They’ve also traded away most of their future first-round picks, so their assets are limited.
Beal is making about $50 million this season, while Nurkic is on an $18 million contract, and both players are under contract for next season as well, making them difficult to trade. Beal also has a no-trade clause.
The Suns have been mentioned in trade rumors involving Heat star Jimmy Butler, but from a salary cap standpoint, it would be difficult to acquire him unless Beal is included in the deal.
The best trade options are probably Durant and Booker, but the Suns don’t seem eager to trade either player.
The next steps
Since Beal was moved to the bench, the Suns have won two of their last three games, and they have a chance to improve with upcoming home games against the Jazz and Hornets this weekend.
If Phoenix can get above .500 in the next couple of weeks, the front office may decide to stick with the current roster and make only small adjustments. Otherwise, they might be forced to make bigger changes.
