The Phoenix Suns have well and truly entered win-now mode following Kevin Durant’s trade last season and Bradley Beal’s trade this summer.
The Suns currently have a Big 3 of Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, and Bradley Beal. They are expected to be the favorites to win it all in the 2023-24 NBA season. But upon taking a closer look at the two blockbuster trades, the Suns may have given up a little too much to form their current superteam.
Phoenix Suns Received: Kevin Durant, Bradley Beal, TJ Warren, Isaiah Todd, Jordan Goodwin
Phoenix Suns Sent: Chris Paul, Mikal Bridges, Cameron Johnson, 2023 First-Round Pick, 2025 First-Round Pick, 2027 First-Round Pick, 2029, First-Round Pick, 2024 First-Round Pick Swap, 2026 First-Round Pick Swap, 2028 First-Round Pick Swap, 2030 First-Round Pick Swap, 2024 Second-Round Pick, 2025 Second-Round Pick, 2026 Second-Round Pick, 2027 Second-Round Pick, 2028 Second-Round Pick, 2030 Second-Round Pick
What the Suns traded for Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal 😳
(h/t @BrightSideSun ) pic.twitter.com/wdogJZnBqN
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) June 22, 2023
NBA fans on Twitter were shocked after seeing what the Suns had to give up to have a shot at winning a title.
A fan believes the franchise has no future.
https://twitter.com/cinxeo/status/1671996112390217728
A fan thinks this is the definition of a win-now mode.
Definition of a win now mode
— Crumbletakes (@Crumbletakes) June 22, 2023
Another fan thinks the Suns will lose in the 2024 playoffs and trade away Devin Booker.
We know from history how this is going to play out for the Suns. If they don’t make a statement next year, they HAVE to trade Booker to get some picks back lol. Mark my words. Booker will be gone the year after next.
— G R Ξ Ξ Ν B N Z ൫ (@GreenBnz) June 23, 2023
A fan believes the current Suns’ team still has no chance of winning the title.
https://twitter.com/TwoNiickels/status/1672010779745288194
A fan compared the Suns’ decision to trade away their future to what the Clippers did in 2019.
I feel like they're making the same mistake the Clippers made and they're likely to get similar results.
— Jonny (@yoshifan331) June 22, 2023
On paper, the Phoenix Suns have a strong starting lineup. The team looks stacked, and they are expected to dominate the regular season.
But the real test of the new-look Suns would be come playoff time. Their three superstars, Durant, Beal, and Booker, are injury-prone. Considering the lack of bench depth, an injury to either star could ruin the team’s chances of winning a ring.
The Phoenix Suns Aren’t Expected To Trade Deandre Ayton
Previously, the Phoenix Suns were testing the market to know about Deandre Ayton’s value in the trade market. Ayton averaged 18.0 PPG, 10.0 RPG, and 1.7 APG during the 2022-23 regular season.
The Suns could trade away the former first-overall pick for solid players on the bench. However, the organization has put a pin on it after getting a poor assessment of Ayton’s value.
“They’re leaning towards keeping Deandre Ayton. If you know you have veteran minimum guys that play wing and want to come here, then yes. I just don’t know if you can get the value for him that we want, and I don’t think trading him into space is an option because teams like Houston and San Antonio don’t want him. They wanna play their rookies, and they want to be bad.”
With the Suns hiring a defensive-minded head coach in Frank Vogel, Ayton could thrive under his system. As of now, there is still uncertainty about his future.
The Suns were eliminated in the second round of the 2023 playoffs. Can they at least make the NBA Finals after making the blockbuster trades for Durant and Beal? That’s the goal.
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