After what was nothing short of a disappointing season, the Phoenix Suns now have many decisions to make this summer and the offseason.
The Suns made the playoffs last season, but were swept in the first round by the Minnesota Timberwolves.
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That prompted owner Mat Ishbia to make a change at head coach, firing Frank Vogel and hiring Mike Budenholzer.
The move far from paid off. While Kevin Durant was in and out of the lineup with injuries, the Suns went 36-46 and finished as the No. 11 seed in the Western Conference.
Mar 24, 2025; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) defends against Phoenix Suns forward Kevin Durant (35) at Footprint Center. © Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
Kevin Durant is missing piece for West team
The Suns considered trading Durant at the trade deadline. However, whether they wanted to make one final push for an NBA Play-In Tournament spot or weren’t getting the return they were hoping for, they decided to keep him.
The Suns have already hired Brian Gregory as their new general manager. James Jones will serve in a senior advisory role.
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Gregory will now be tasked with getting together with Ishbia to decide the team’s future and the path to take.
That could mean revisiting trade conversations if they decide to rebuild. It would likely start with Durant.
The Ringer’s Michael Pina wrote about how adding Durant could make the Houston Rockets an immediate contender.
“Giannis or Durant would be incredible additions, and the Rockets almost certainly would’ve defeated Golden State with one of those Hall of Famers on their roster,” wrote Pina. “But there’s a level of urgency that comes with accelerating your timeline to keep up with a superstar addition, and it’s hard to know how much the Rockets would have to give up to pull off any of these trades.
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“Antetokounmpo will turn 31 in December. Durant will turn 37 in September. Everyone worth getting is on a max contract that fills up at least 30 percent of the cap.”
It remains to be seen exactly what the Suns could get for Durant if that’s the avenue they pursue.
If they want to gear up for the future and get some future assets back in the form of draft picks, it would likely be centered around a player like Reed Sheppard and draft picks.
But if the goal is to compete right away, it’s not impossible that the Rockets would look to trade Jalen Green. Green struggled mightily in the playoffs outside of his one 38-point outburst.