We're moving on with our TENTH team eliminated, the Phoenix Suns. They came up short to play-in contention with the loss last night to OKC.
Spoiler:
Time of death: April 09, 2025
Record at elimination: 35-45
Head coach: Mike Budenholzer
https://www.spotrac.com/nba/phoenix-suns/yearly
Contract summary:
Durant – extension eligible or 1-year 54M expiring next season
Beal – NTC, 53M, +1 57M PO (free agent in 26-27)
Booker – 53/57/61M Max through 27-28
Grayson Allen – 3yr/45 remain, final year 19M PO
Royce O’Neale – 3/30 remaining
Cody Martin – extension eligible, non-guaranteed 8.5M next season/expiring if picked up
Vasilije Micic – 8M TO
Nick Richards – non-guaranteed 5M next season, or extension eligible
Mason Plumlee – UFA
Tyus Jones – UFA
Damion Lee – UFA
Monte Morris – UFA
Bol Bol - UFA
Rookie Scale/minimums (varies on 2-4 years remaining):
Ryan Dunn – 3 years rookie scale remain
Oso Ighodaro - 3 years rookie scale remain
TW
Jalen Bridges
Collin Gillespie
TyTy Washington
Dead-cap – Paying EJ Liddel 700k for 2 more years. Paying Nassir Little 3M a year for 6 more years. Total dead cap this season was 3.8M, and will be the same next season + future transactions.
25-26 Capspace – 2nd apron team (11M above)
PICKS for 2025 draft:
CLE 1st (least favourable of CLE/MIN) via UTA
DEN 2nd (least favourable of DEN and PHI)
A SMALL SEASON REVIEW:
https://www.espn.com/nba/team/schedule/_/name/phx/season/2025
Phoenix continued on with the same roster from last season’s 1st round exit, for the most part. A couple new rookies got into the action, Nas Little was waived and is being paid 6 more years to not play for PHX, and Okogie was re-signed. It began as a ‘run-it-back’ season, and even though there were needs to address, the 2nd Apron makes it incredibly hard to fix them.
Early on, things were looking pretty good for the Suns, storming out to an 8-1 record in the first 9 games. Then, well, it’s the little things, the many OT losses (SAC,POR,MEM,DEN), or getting some poor injury luck, a 3 game losing streak….one win, and then a 4 game losing streak. Consistency was just not there. The team was poor defensively and cannot shoot its way out of every game.
There have been some pretty solid wins on the resume, including Denver on Christmas, Golden St., and Cleveland late in the year, however the end of season was brutal for the Suns. Durant was relatively healthy – yet his early injury coincided with the team’s slide, and he just twisted his ankle again sending them to the offseason promptly. Beal also missed the most games of the “Big 3”, and he did the least of the three of them on-court.
Tyus Jones has helped get the offense flowing, but the team’s real need is depth and defense. That’s where rookie Ryan Dunn has helped, really playing solid on both sides of the ball. I think he has a promising career ahead of him.
Mid-season, Okogie, Nurkic, were traded. Suns acquired Cody Martin and Nick Richards from Charlotte while sending some 2nds to the Hornets. There aren’t that many picks remaining to trade for Phoenix and they are in a dire-situation with their 2nd Apron status.
The franchise attempted to trade KD at the deadline, but he was apparently not aware of it, or not on board. Beal was a hot-topic to be a part of the Jimmy Butler trade package, but Beal also publicly stated he wouldn’t waive his No-Trade-Clause for certain teams. What was at first a foregone conclusion of seeing Butler team up with KD and Booker soon evaporated as division rival GSW acquired Butler instead.
The results of that effort have made KD understandably upset, it is foreseeable that there could very well be another team paying Durant next year. With a little savvy move to get a 1st rd. pick this year, PHX will select near the end of rd 1 by now holding CLE’s pick. Good luck!
There’s an aura of mystery on how PHX works its way out of this 2nd apron tax bracket, assuages KD and other players feeling uneasy, and reworks a roster to be a contender. I’m not entirely sure how that will happen, but that’s why we lean upon you devoted fans of the Suns. How will this team look next time we see them on the court ?
