After just one season with their big three of Kevin Durant , Devin Booker and Bradley Beal , the Phoenix Suns may be left with no choice but to break up their star-studded trio.
After a disappointing season which left Durant frustrated, league insider Mark Medina warns that the ‘hamstrung’ Suns may have to get rid of a star, like the 14-time All-Star, in order to get back on track.
Forming Big Three Hasn’t Paid Off
Giving up assets to form big three considerably weakened supporting cast
In the space of approximately two years, the Suns completely decimated the roster depth that had helped them to reach the NBA Finals back in 2021, beginning at the 2023 trade deadline, where they conducted a blockbuster trade with the Brooklyn Nets for a disgruntled Durant, a deal which required them to part ways with three role players, including Mikal Bridges , and four unprotected future first-round picks.
But, the Suns would crash out in the Western Conference semifinals that season to the eventual champions Denver Nuggets , and Suns general manager Mat Ishbia put the wheels in motion on more moves that needed to be made.
That summer, the Suns would engage in another blockbuster deal, which saw them acquire three-time All-Star Beal from the Washington Wizards . But again, the price for him would be steep, and the Suns sent Chris Paul , Landry Shamet , and some second-round picks and pick swaps to the Wizards in return.
But, this deal to form a big three, along with Booker, only resulted in an underwhelming 2023-24 campaign that concluded in a 4-0 sweep by the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round of the playoffs.
Again, this set off a cascade of changes, starting with the firing of Frank Vogel as head coach, now replaced by Mike Budenholzer, a two-time Coach of the Year who won the 2021 championship with the Milwaukee Bucks .
Now there are reports beginning to surface that the core of Durant, Booker and Beal could be on the verge of a break-up after just one season together, with 14-time NBA All-Star Durant previously reported to have been ‘unhappy’ in Arizona, where it further emerged that he went a whole month without talking to then-head coach, Vogel.
Since this report, all went quiet for a little while, until recently, when it was reported that the Houston Rockets are looking to aggressively pursue Durant via trade, with the organization even considering the possibility of using rising star center Alperen Sengün as an asset to get a deal done.
However, Ishbia has firmly waved off any trade rumors involving his All-NBA star, and insists that Durant is integral to Phoenix’s championship pursuit next season.
Durant’s ‘Frustrations’ Were With His Teammates’ Availability
Medina argued that while Durant had a good season with his production numbers aligning with those of his career averages, his frustrations mainly lied with the fact that his All-Star teammates struggled with their health, and thus were unable to join him out on the court.
As such, the journalist warns that Durant departing from the organization is not an entire impossibility, especially considering his tethered history of moving around from team-to-team after only a few years.
“When you look at the fact that Kevin Durant averaged 27 points, five assists, in line with his career averages, he was still an effective player.
But I think his frustration had more to do with the fact that, as a team, they weren’t available enough with Bradley Beal only having 53 games, Devin Booker having 68 games, and that so much of the pressure fell on the big three as opposed to everyone else.
So, what that means moving forward, I guess you never rule anything out because of how short-lived Kevin Durant has been on the team since his departure from Oklahoma City. But he has always done his best to play at his best, and make the best of the situation.”
Suns Are ‘Hamstrung’ With Problems
Medina further elaborated on the possibility of Durant leaving the Suns, and suggested that the front office, and general manager Mat Ishbia, have the tough decision to make about whether they have to trade one of their stars to improve their finances.
However, the journalist doesn’t feel that the Suns will trade Durant specifically, unless he has expressed internally of his desire to leave.
“Expect anything because you never rule anything out. The Suns have to weigh the possibility of the tough decision of trading him, but unless there’s a better deal out there, it’s really hard-pressed for me to think that unless Kevin Durant is saying he wants out, that the Suns do that.
When you’re looking at the Suns, they’re really hamstrung. They have a lot of problems on their hands, but they can’t really do anything under the salary cap restrictions they have. So really, the only moves they could make is if they decide to get rid of their star players and that runs the risk of starting over, and I don’t think that’s what Mat Ishbia wants.”
Durant’s Healthiest Season in Years
75 games played were the most since 2018-19 season
Since Durant was with the Golden State Warriors , where he won two titles and two Finals MVP awards, the 35-year-old has struggled with health and injuries, though when he has been out on the court, his numbers have remained in-line with his career-averages.
In three seasons with the Nets, he played only a total of 129 games, but in his first full season with the Suns, he managed to play 75 of their 82 regular season games, the most since his final season with the Warriors (78 games played).
This season, the seasoned veteran mustered a team-leading 27.1 points (tied with Booker) at a 52.3 percent shooting clip, while converting 41.3 percent of his 5.4 long-range attempts, his best production rate since 2020-21, where he drained 45.0 percent of his shots from deep.
Durant has made his name in the Association for being one of the league’s best ever scorers, and even at 35-years-old and 17 seasons under his belt, this still rings true.
This season saw Durant take 71.7 percent of his shots from two-point range, of which 57.4 percent of his total points came from.
Of his field goal makes from two-point range, 51.1 percent of them came assisted by his teammates, while the other 48.9 percent came from his own shot creation – a fairly balanced affair.
However, when it came to three-point makes, 81.5 percent came assisted by his teammates, where he attempted 3.7 attempts per game, scoring at a 44.0 percent efficiency.
Comparing those numbers to the season prior, where only 65.6 percent of his made three-pointers came from dishes from his teammates, a drop of 15.9 percent, this indicates that Durant has other playmakers on his team, which allows him to sit back and do what he does best – shoot the ball.
GIVEMESPORT Key Statistic: Kevin Durant is the eighth-leading scorer in NBA history, having scored 28,924 points.
What the future holds for Durant is uncertain, but if he truly is unhappy in Phoenix and feels it isn’t the right place for him to try and pursue another championship, then maybe he will try to use the star-level status that he possesses to force his way elsewhere, especially as time is not on his side, with him turning 36-years-old in September.
Whether the Suns are willing to bow down to his commands – should he have any – is entirely up to them, and while they are currently standing pat that he is not available for trade, in today’s NBA, time moves quickly, and anything is possible.