Don’t allow the Phoenix Suns’ late-season drive to qualify for the play-in tournament detract from what a complete bust this season has been. While defeating the Cleveland Cavaliers is fantastic, it becomes more meaningful when you realize that you’ve dropped to tenth place in the Western Conference.
Disappointment is likely to be the season’s finale, and it might only become worse if the Suns do make the playoffs. At that point, a match with the Oklahoma City Thunder seemed the most likely conclusion, and it is difficult to imagine how the Suns could play defense and score consistently against what is perhaps the league’s deepest team right now.
The Suns may have spoken too soon on Kevin Durant’s future.
Durant was awesome against the Cavaliers – pouring in 42 points – and was everything the franchise needed him to be and more in that moment. Kind of like the 36-year-old has been since getting to The Valley, only it feels like fans and the front office alike pick and choose when to back Durant and his incredible powers.
Yes he’s not single-handedly winning games for his side like he used to, but that doesn’t mean he’s not doing it at all. You also don’t pay Durant to come in and be the talismanic veteran everybody flocks towards as he leads them to the promised land. His style has always been more about letting his game do the talking, being honest with the media and getting into arguments on X with fans.
By making him available to the Golden State Warriors at the trade deadline so they could get Jimmy Butler, the Suns essentially gave up on the Durant and Devin Booker era. Even Durant rejected that notion, but it seemed to indicate that his days in Phoenix were numbered. It seems like the athlete and the franchise both need a change of scenery.
However, the front office may want to reconsider that. Without a doubt, Booker and Durant have mutual respect.
Getting a player of Durant’s caliber in this summer is also unlikely due to Bradley Beal’s no-trade clause. Moving on from Durant for the sake of it might have disastrous consequences, especially because owner Mat Ishbia stated that Booker was not progressing and that Beal had the ability to choose his own destiny.
Yes the organization needs change – it is why head coach Mike Budenholzer might not survive beyond his first year in Phoenix – but just because Durant is the only way to make that happen, does not mean it is the right move. At his best he can lead good teams – which this version of the Suns’ roster is – to wins that they probably have no right to steal.
The supposed asking price of three first-rounders and a young player with upside sounds great too, only it is unclear who would want to pay that for a soon to be 37-year-old entering the final year of his current deal and why. The Suns might want to have a conversation about perhaps sticking around because at this moment, Durant is the best and most consistent thing about this team.
