Your weekly Inside the Suns analysis straight from the BSotS community who live and breathe the team.
Welcome to Inside the Suns, your weekly deep dive analysis of the current Phoenix Suns team.
Each week, the Fantable – a round table of Bright Siders – gives its take on the Suns’ latest issues and news.
Fantable Questions of the Week
Q1 – The following teams have at least been rumored to have some interest in acquiring KD, Houston, OKC, SAS, Minnesota, Memphis, Dallas, and Miami. Which one do you believe would send back the best assets for him?
OldAz: I have been saying all along that it is OKC. They have incredible depth and a ton of future draft capital. Plus, if they come up short this year, they could easily be in a position to grab that go to guy like KD to get over the top. However, I am not a fan of most of the rumored packages that include Hartenstein, Wiggins, and Caruso along with two 1sts and two 2nds. Taking on a decent center and 2 more guards does nothing to make the Suns better in the short or long term.
The trade may need to include Hartenstein for his salary, but after that the Suns would have to acquire at least one other key piece back, and it really needs to be one of their really good forwards if you are trading KD. If you are trading KD to a team with crazy length and athleticism, you have to bring back some of that length and athleticism! This cannot be a simple salary dump as far as current player talent. Until they can find a way off Beal’s contract or decide to move Booker, the Suns have plenty of guards (Allen, Gillespie, etc).
Rod: It’s hard to pick one right now as I believe that how the playoffs shake out will be a determining factor as to which team would want him the most. Both Houston and OKC have good, young players that I’d like to add to the Suns’ roster plus lots of draft picks to toss in. The rest, I think, are at least a level down as to what the Suns could possibly get in return… unless they’re very desperate. And Minnesota is a 2nd apron tax team which would make any trade with them difficult unless they can get below that mark before attempting a trade.
Unless Houston has some luck during the playoffs, I don’t see them getting beyond the Western Conference Finals. If they fall short of that, then I could see them as possibly willing to spend big in a trade for KD and give the Suns the best return. But if OKC has some bad luck and falls short of the Finals, they could turn out to be the best bet as a KD trade partner. They have the best defense in the NBA this season and they likely could afford adding KD to just do his thing and get baskets for them without really hurting their D.
Voita: It’s OKC. The team with a war chest of assets so deep they could probably trade for a second franchise if they wanted. But with that stockpile comes a looming reality. Eventually, they have to start paying their young core. Serious decisions are on the horizon.
That’s where the Suns could come in. If they play their cards right, they might be able to pry loose some picks, snag a young talent or two, and capitalize on a Thunder team that, sooner or later, has to consolidate. But, as Rod pointed out, how desperate will OKC really be?
If this team flames out in the first or second round, they might convince themselves that they’re a Kevin Durant away from flipping the switch and gunning for a title. Maybe they make the move. Maybe the time to strike is now.
But if history tells us anything, it’s that the Thunder don’t do impulsive. Sam Presti plays the long game. He hoards assets, stacks the deck, and waits. It’s worked so far. The question is does he finally push his chips in, or does he keep stacking the pile? And can the Suns capitalize.
Q2 – According to Duane Rankin (Arizona Republic), “The most ideal return on a Durant trade is regaining three first-round picks and a young player as part of a multi-team deal tied to getting under the second apron.” Do you agree?
OldAz: Maybe. Every potential deal has to be evaluated on its own merit. If a KD deal magically brought back 2 young, athletic frontcourt starters, then it may only need to include 2 FRP. If the Suns are only getting one good young player, then yes they would need more picks and hopefully picks that have potential to be higher than the late 20’s. As for getting under the 2nd apron, we need to know HOW FAR under the 2nd apron it gets them. If a move gets them $5 under the 2nd apron to supposedly remove all these onerous restrictions, then they would have to continue to self impose most of those restrictions so they don’t go back over the 2nd cap before the season starts. Being under at next years deadline should be the goal so that they can aggregate salaries in any deal at that time.
Rod: Ideally I’d like to get more in return but the “three first-round picks and a young player” part could be very good or just a fair return depending upon the picks’ status (protected vs unprotected), which team they come from and who that young player is and his position. My big hope is a possible bidding war between two or more teams as that would be the only way to maximize the return.
If the Suns don’t somehow wind up getting control of some of their own draft picks back, the player/players they get back would be my biggest concern. I want at least one young player back that’s already proven himself and still has room to grow and improve. On that I hope the Suns hold out and don’t settle for anything less.
Voita: It might not be the most ideal return, but it’s probably the most realistic. And even then, it might not be that many picks. Maybe a young player, a couple of firsts, and a few seconds. That’s probably the market for Durant at this stage.
The problem? Leverage is tilting against the Suns. Durant is on the last year of his deal, and teams aren’t exactly lining up to hemorrhage draft capital for a one-year rental of a 37-year-old making $50 million. The only way someone coughs up that kind of package is if they believe he’s the missing piece, the guy who pushes them over the top next season.
And even then, there’s another factor at play: an extension. No team is throwing assets at Phoenix unless they know Durant will re-sign. That narrows the market even further.
Then there’s the elephant in the room. His reputation. If whispers around the Suns suggest that Durant isn’t the easiest to deal with, you can bet front offices across the league are hearing the same thing. If I’m catching wind of it, they definitely are. And that, too, chips away at both his trade value and the Suns’ leverage.
So, a young player and three firsts? That would be a haul. And if Phoenix can pull that off, they should take it and run.
Q3 – What do you think the odds are for the Suns to make it to the Play In games AND do you believe it matters if they make it or not?
OldAz: Lloyd Christmas had a better chance with Mary Swanson (look it up if you don’t get the reference) and I really don’t think it matters any way. They didn’t care enough to put forth effort in games earlier this year and now they have no chemistry or defensive will when they need it most. They are not a fun team to watch and there is no joy. I find myself asking why I am watching multiple times each game because there are literally hundreds of better options on TV at any given moment. I just wish Bud would go back to playing some of the young (and more energetic) players because at least there would be some benefit in their development whether the team makes it to the Play In or not.
Rod: I’d put the odds of the Suns making the Play In at 20-30% tops at this point. They’ve been playing better lately but the remaining schedule is a gauntlet of very good teams. Making it or not might depend more on Dallas’ luck between now and then than anything else, and Dallas has been having horrible injury problems. Even with that, the Mav’s schedule is much easier than the Suns’ (21st hardest vs 1st hardest) so I’m not putting much faith in that happening. Sacramento’s schedule is also very difficult (2nd hardest) so they might also slip if they run into some bad luck but that’s nothing we can count on either.
Right now, I doubt the Suns will make it to the Play In games but I still hope they do or at least finish the season relatively strong. I hope they do as well as possible if for no other reason than to not gift Houston a high lottery pick in this year’s draft.
Voita: Dallas took another hit last night. Dante Exum is out. At this point, that team is basically the walking embodiment of every fantasy football roster I’ve ever had. Just a sea of red crosses next to every name. I feel their pain. Metaphorically, of course.
And while the Suns are staring down a brutal schedule, the odds of making the Play In are somehow tilting in their favor. FanDuel now has them at -155 to get in.
Does it matter? Not really. Even if they squeak into the Play In, the odds of surviving it and making the actual playoffs are slim. +650. And if they do make it? Congratulations, your reward is a date with Oklahoma City. Fantastic.
I know some people are stressing about Houston getting a lottery pick. Couldn’t care less. The Suns’ focus should be on what actually moves the needle for their future, and this just isn’t it.
As always, many thanks to our Fantable members for all their extra effort this week!
Rookie Report
Ryan Dunn – 17.2 mpg, 5.9 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 0.8 apg, 0.4 spg, 0.5 bpg, 0.4 TO, 2.1 PF, 42.7% FG%, 29.9% 3P%, 48.3% FT%
- Last Week – 13.1 mpg, 5.0 ppg, 1.5 rpg, 0.8 apg, 1.3 spg, 0.5 bpg, 0.3 TO, 1.0 PF, 36.8% FG%, 27.3% 3P%, 75.0% FT%, 1 DNP-CD
Oso Ighodaro – 14.6 mpg, 3.5 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 0.9 apg, 0.4 spg, 0.4 bpg, 0.6 TO, 1.5 PF, 59.8% FG%, 0.0 3P%, 55.0% FT%
- Last Week – 30.3 mpg, 9.5 ppg, 6.0 rpg, 0.5 apg, 0.5 spg, 2.5 bpg, 2.0 TO, 3.5 PF, 88.9% FG%, 0.0 3P%, 75.0% FT%, 3 DNP-CD
Statistics courtesy of NBA.com.
Injury Report
Nick Richards (Ankle) – Game Time Decision
Grayson Allen (Foot) – Game Time Decision
Monte Morris (Back) – Game Time Decision
Last Week’s poll results
Last week’s question was “True or False. No matter what else the Suns do in the offseason, getting below the 2nd tax apron should be a high priority.”
88% – True.
12% – False.
A total of 189 votes were cast.
Suns Trivia/History
Kevin Durant and Devin Booker are leading the league in minutes played since the All-Star break. pic.twitter.com/x7DS8XosP3
— Booker Muse (@DevinBookerMuse) March 10, 2025
Quotes of the Week
“We (Dunn and Ighodaro) got a lot of emotion. I asked, kind of, what we need to bring every night, that kind of energy and that kind of emotion for these guys, you know, help kind of lead in that area.” – Ryan Dunn
“He doesn’t take anything lightly. I can’t say the word I really want to say, but he’s not gonna be punked. He’s not gonna be bullied. He’s gonna be the aggressor sometimes, and we need that.” – Ryan Dunn on Plumlee’s 2nd straight ejection
“We can definitely feel it. You feel that throughout the game especially in those moments where the game’s kind of going back and forth. But you know those energy plays kind of make the difference and flip the momentum back to your side or swing things your way so it’s good. It’s good and they were huge for us tonight.” – Tyus Jones on Ryan and Oso setting the defensive tone vs Sacramento
“Love playing with those guys (Dunn and Ighodaro) and it’s something we need to build on.” – Kevin Durant
Important Future Dates
April 13 – NBA Regular Season ends
April 14 – Rosters set for NBA Playoffs 2025 (3 p.m. ET)
April 15-18 – Play In Tournament
April 19 – NBA Playoffs begin
May 12 – NBA Lottery
June 25-26 – NBA Draft
This week’s poll is…
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