Following the Suns being swept by the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round last week, a lot of people questioned where Phoenix goes from here.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!The Suns essentially have their hands tied with Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal all signed through at least the next couple seasons and owed around $50 million each. Their other two starters, Jusuf Nurkić and Grayson Allen are also signed long term.
With that said, the Suns are projected to have the highest payroll in the NBA next season at $209 million and subject to strict restrictions due to be a second-apron team,
Offseason in Phoenix
📝https://t.co/cSsbgKmXHa pic.twitter.com/C07cXuErrZ
— Bobby Marks (@BobbyMarks42) April 29, 2024
Phoenix is unable to sign free agents outside of the Suns to anything other than veteran minimum contracts. In terms of trades, the Suns will not be able to take in more salary than they send out, include cash in deals, aggregate contracts or use a preexisting trade exception.
On Wednesday, owner Mat Ishbia claimed his team was still in a “great position.”
“We’re in great position, not a good position, a great position,” Ishbia said. “We didn’t win an NBA championship, so we’re going to figure out what do we got to change, what do we got to tweak, what do we got to improve, to be better to win a championship next year. And guess what, we might not win one next year, but we’re going to show us how to try every single year. So get ready for that.”
He even later added that 26 of the 29 NBA general managers would trade their whole team for the Suns as is.
“The house is not on fire. We’re in great position” – #Suns owner Mat Ishbia. Thoughts? 🤔
🎥: @Brendan_Mau pic.twitter.com/PIGhwM2vle
— Burn City Suns Talk 🎙️ (@BurnCitySuns) May 2, 2024
“It’s not like they’re a bad team,” a Western Conference executive said to Bucher. “They’re not a championship team because the pieces just don’t fit. Right now, they have what I call good problems.”
The executive doesn’t think the Suns need to make drastic changes.
“Because you have those three guys, you’re going to have a winning team,” he said. “Are you going to win a championship? Maybe not. I would just address the obvious needs and run it back, because if you just get rid of everybody to start over, you don’t know how long that’s going to take that. Do you have two or three years as a new owner to just watch the team grow? I think you’ve got to find a way to win back your fan base because your fan base is down on you right now.”
On draft day (June 26), the Suns will have the No. 22 overall pick. They will also have the ability to trade this pick then, as well as their 2031 first-round pick. Ishbia seemed to allude to the fact that the Suns will trade these picks for immediate upgrades, as exemplified by them trading or pick swapping virtually all of their draft capital until 2030 for Kevin Durant, Bradley Beal and in other various trades.
“They’re going to have to bite the bullet a little bit and start playing young guys,” the executive said. “Put a team out there that’s going to fight and play hard. I want the fans on their feet cheering because when they leave the arena, they feel like, ‘Man, the team gave it everything they got.’ That’s what they don’t have right now. Denver hit gold with Christian Braun and that kid, Peyton Watson. That’s what Phoenix needs. They’ve got a first-round pick this year, and some people are telling ’em to trade it. They should use it and play the guy.”
So what should the Suns change?
“Restructure the roster with a two or three-year window of playoff pursuit,” a Western Conference scout said, “or tear it down and rebuild now.”
The scout added: “They are poorly constructed. Where is their bench? Where is their rim-protecting, shot-blocking big as a starter or off the bench? Where is a decision-making point guard as a starter or off the bench? Where is their 6’7″ defensive wing? Where is a power forward who plays with size and physicality, since KD doesn’t want to play the 4? Where is their size? They are too small. All of that is essential to a winning franchise with championship aspirations.”
A lot of fans are really unsure how to feel about where the Suns stand given their owed future salaries and poor finish this season. We will see what moves, if any, Phoenix ends up making.
*Get the BEST Phoenix sports insider information, exclusive content, and access to our seasonal magazines! SIGN UP HERE to unlock our premium content!*
Brendan Mau is a senior writer covering the Phoenix Suns and more for Burn City Sports. You can follow him on X via @Brendan_Mau
