(Photo by Chris Coduto/Getty Images)
The Phoenix Suns were being hyped up last summer after trading for star guard Bradley Beal and adding him to a roster that already included Devin Booker and future Hall of Famer Kevin Durant.
Some were picking them to reach the NBA Finals, but instead, they finished sixth in the Western Conference and got swept in the first round of the playoffs by the Minnesota Timberwolves.
There has been speculation as a result that they could see major changes this summer, but general manager James Jones shot down rumors that any of their three stars could be traded, per John Gambadoro.
Suns GM James Jones tells @BurnsAndGambo that there is no scenario in which Devin Booker, Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal would be traded this offseason.
— John Gambadoro (@Gambo987) May 17, 2024
Phoenix gave up an incredible amount of draft picks to land Durant and Beal, which has put a tremendous amount of pressure on them to win a world championship, since they have essentially mortgaged their entire future to do so.
But their roster is greatly flawed — they do not have a true point guard or floor general, and their depth, especially in the frontcourt, has been suspect.
The Suns also lack above-average defenders, and Frank Vogel, who they hired to be their head coach last offseason, was unable to get them to excel defensively despite his reputation as a defensive mastermind.
Vogel was ultimately fired after their first-round exit and replaced by Mike Budenholzer, but Budenholzer will need his roster to be shuffled a bit if he is able to get better results.
The rest of the West isn’t getting any less competitive, and therefore these Suns could end up being as much of a flop as Durant’s Brooklyn Nets were a couple of years ago.
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