Suns and their Big 3 struggling with not many easy solutions Trending Global News

PHOENIX – The Phoenix Suns currently employ one of the best scorers in NBA history, a four-time All-Star, a three-time All-Star, a championship-winning coach and several experienced, accomplished role players.

And for the last two months, they’ve been basically terrible.

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The Suns entered the season with championship aspirations thanks to their Big 3 of Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal, but struggled with a 17–19 record near the midpoint of the season. Now, general manager James Jones and owner Matt Ishbia must decide whether to be patient, make minor changes or blow up the roster as the February 6 trade deadline approaches.

READ: NBA: LaMelo Ball, Hornets snap 10-game skid at Suns expense

Here’s a look at the position of the Sun:

season so far

Over the summer, the Suns hired Arizona native Mike Budenholzer, who won an NBA title with the Milwaukee Bucks, to the Suns in 2021. He replaced Frank Vogel, who had led the Suns to a 49–33 record the previous season. Lost to Timberwolves in first round.

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The coaching change seemed to be working in the early weeks of the season: Durant, Booker and Beal were healthy and the Suns started 8–1. But Durant suffered a calf injury in the ninth game, which took him out of the lineup for a few weeks. This led to relatively minor, but persistent injuries to several players, which meant that Budenholzer was constantly shuffling his rotation.

Since the hot start, the Suns are just 9-18 and have fallen to 12th in the Western Conference, which would fall outside the playoff field.

So, what is the problem?

Injuries certainly haven’t helped, but there have been other problems.

The trio of Durant, Booker and Beal have never looked up to par over the past 1 1/2 seasons, even though all of their individual numbers have been very good. Budenholzer recently sent Beal to the bench in an effort to spread the scoring and the three-time All-Star responded with some good games, even if he didn’t seem particularly excited about the move.

“This is something that will take some time,” Budenholzer said. “It’s like everything, there are some positives to it, there are some things we have to work on and continue to improve on, but obviously it’s something we felt was good for the team and it helps us.” Can get.”

There are problems with the post also. Starting center Jusuf Nurkic is averaging just 8.6 points, his lowest since turning 21 in 2016. Nurkic was also moved to the bench and did not play at all in the team’s 123-115 win over the Hawks on Thursday. ,

Can they get out of this mess?

Great question.

The Suns have one of the most expensive rosters in the league and don’t have a lot of room for maneuver. They also sent away most of their upcoming first-round draft picks in other trades, so they don’t have much assets.

READ: Bradley Beal stars as reserve, believes he’s an NBA starter

Beal is making nearly $50 million this season, while Nurkic is making $18 million and both are still under contract next year, making it difficult for them to move on. Beal also has a no-trade clause. Various reports have linked the Suns to disgruntled Heat star Jimmy Butler, but from a salary cap perspective, it would seem difficult to acquire him unless Beal is part of a trade.

The best trade chips would definitely be Durant and Booker, but it seems like the Suns don’t have much interest in moving either player.

next steps

The Suns have won two of three games since moving Beal to the bench and are looking to win several games starting with home matchups against the Jazz and Hornets this weekend.

If Phoenix can climb above .500 over the next few weeks, the front office may be willing to stick with the core group and make more minor changes. Otherwise, there could be some big moves ahead.