Phoenix Suns insider breaks down Bradley Beal contract buyout
The Suns bought out guard Bradley Beal’s contract, ending his time in Phoenix. The Republic’s Duane Rankin explains what it means for the team.
The Phoenix Suns didn’t make the playoffs with Devin Booker, Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal last season.
They won just 36 games and suffered their first losing season since 2019-20, which was the last time they missed postseason action before last season.
In reaction, Phoenix fired a championship coach in Mike Budenholzer, traded away a future first-ballot Hall of Fame selection in Kevin Durant and bought out Bradley Beal.
The Suns now have a first-time NBA head coach in Jordan Ott and seven players 24 years of age or younger, with their first-round pick, 7-footer Khaman, Maluach, still 18 (turns 19 Sept. 14).
So how can this team be considered even a play-in contender with their fourth head coach in as many seasons and without an all-time great in Durant and a proven scorer in Beal?
“In the West, we’re going to be talking mainly about four teams and then those (other) five through 10 (are) going to be teams like Phoenix eight, nine or 10,” said former NBA player Channing Frye on ESPN’s NBA Today this week. “Or those teams like Minnesota (Timberwolves).”
NBA.com ranked the Suns 13th out of 15 teams in the West in last month’s offseason power rankings.
Frye said the Suns’ attempt to build around Booker, acquiring Jalen Green from Houston in the Durant trade, and parting ways with Durant and Beal is “the right move,” but also “a dangerous move.”
NBA.com ranks defending the NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder, Denver Nuggets, Houston Rockets and Timberwolves as the top four teams in the West in its offseason power rankings, followed by the Los Angeles Clippers and Los Angeles Lakers.
Beal is now with the Clippers.
The top six teams in each conference automatically make the playoffs, while the seventh through 10th squads battle for the final two playoff spots in the play-in. NBA.com has the Golden State Warriors, Dallas Mavericks, Memphis Grizzlies and San Antonio Spurs ranked seventh through 10 in the West.
Can the Suns crack that top 10 in the even more brutal West?
They need Booker to have a career year, Booker and Green to fit well together in the backcourt and play far better defense than a year ago (27th in defensive rating last season).
Having Ryan Dunn make a huge leap in Year 2, big Mark Williams stay healthy and rookie Rasheer Fleming and Maluach have a positive impact would help, as would having some of the better teams in the West underperform and play below expectations.
The Suns will have their media day Sept. 24. Training camp will begin the same week.
Have opinions about the current state of the Suns? Reach Suns Insider Duane Rankin at dmrankin@gannett.com or contact him at 480-810-5518. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter, at @DuaneRankin.
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