The Ringer’s Bill Simmons gave his thoughts on the Phoenix Suns. And I do not think he was far off.
Editor’s note: I wrote this before Nick Richards became the greatest center to ever play in Phoenix Suns history. While it doesn’t change more overall opinion, I feel much more optimistic than when I wrote this. But the Suns have a long way to go.
Covering the Phoenix Suns day-to-day is like living in a never-ending whirlwind. You’re so deep in the trenches, analyzing every game, every move, every stat, that the big picture starts to blur. You’re obsessed with the battles, but you forget there’s a whole damn war happening. It’s like trying to judge a painting when your nose is pressed against the canvas.
That’s why it’s good to step back sometimes, to hear the national perspective, to let the outsiders weigh in. Maybe they see something we’re too close to notice. Most of the time, their takes are as nonsensical as Floyd slouching on a couch, puffing herbal smoke from a homemade honey bear bong. It’s all “surface-level summaries,” like they’ve skimmed the Wikipedia page five minutes before going live. Remember when everyone kept calling Mikal Bridges “Miles”? Classic.
So yeah, the national perspective can be refreshing when it’s not just phoning it in.
I know Bill Simmons doesn’t exactly have a cult following among Suns fans. And I get it. He hasn’t always been supportive of the Suns. The guy bleeds green. Listen to his podcast, as I have religiously since 2016, and it’s glaringly obvious: he’s a Celtics guy to his core. Everything he talks about somehow circles back to Boston. That’s just his lens. He processes the NBA through a framework he’s comfortable with, and yeah, it can be grating. Do I need to hear why the Thunder’s recent hot streak somehow ties into Jayson Tatum’s MVP campaign? No, I do not. But that’s Bill. Love it or hate it.
On a recent episode, Bill was doing one of his power polls, ranking NBA teams from 30 to 1 while dissecting their strengths and weaknesses. Say what you want about the guy, but his take on the Suns was fascinating. Not just because it was him, but because it was a realstic perspective. Like him or loathe him, the dude knows basketball. He’s a historian of the game. And while his Celtics bias might make your teeth grind, you’ve got to give the man his due.
So, here’s what he had to say about the Suns.
This team’s just not good. I don’t see it. They can’t rebound. They can’t protect the rim. The guys don’t seem like they like playing with each other. They’ll play like Charlotte or Washington or whoever and you’re watching the back and forth, you’re like, ‘I’m not sure they’re much better than this other team.’ The league’s just really good and really deep.
And what’s funny, KD and Booker are both over 36 minutes a game and they’ve actually had them for most of the year. It’s a team that makes more sense on paper in 2017 than in 2025 when you need depth they just threw away depth.
The Beal trade was Chris Paul, Shamet, 2024, 26, 28, and 30 first-round swaps with Washington and a bunch of seconds for Beal and it was a terrible trade when it happened. I hated it. I thought they left themselves with no outs. I was not a giant Beal guy and now he’s at $50, $53.7, and $57 million for this year and the next two with a no-trade clause and they can’t trade him. He knows they can’t trade him.
I’m not sure he gives a crap. They have Nurkic at $18 and $19 (million). They have Grayson Allen at basically $16 (million) this year and then three more years after that. And those are their trade assets and nobody wants. Nobody. Not Not one team. I don’t know what they do.
I do know this. I was thinking about the worst Big Threes of all time because we did use the “Big Three” [to label them]. I didn’t, but we used the Big Three word with Durant and Booker and Beal. This is up there for the worst Big Three of all time.
It’s also another unhappy Kevin Durant team. So, we have the 2019 Warriors. Unhappy. 2022 and 23 Nets. Unhappy. 2024 Suns. Unhappy. 2025 Suns. Currently unhappy. I’m just flagging it. Maybe it’s a coincidence.
One other thing with them. Beal keeps being mentioned in trades as if anyone’s trading for him and it’s like, well, Jimmy Butler really wants to go to Phoenix. Cool. You’re going to have to trade Kevin Durant or Devin Booker for Jimmy Butler because you’re not getting him for Bradley Beal. Nobody wants that contract. Nobody wants Bradley Beal.
I think he’s the number one trade asset you don’t want in the entire league. Sorry, Bradley Beal, but it’s true. The Suns are the guy in your fantasy league who texts you and tries to trade you DeAndre Swift for Brock Bowers. ‘Hey, I see you need a running back. What about Swift for Bowers?’ And you’re just like, dude, stop.
Nobody wants Beal. There’s nobody wants Nurkic. It’s like, yeah, you’re not getting Vucevic for Nurkic and a couple of number two’s. Stop. It’s not happening. The whole league is annoyed by the Suns. It’s a really important point. Everyone in the league’s like, Ishbia is just on a bender and, um, and this team is insane and stop calling us.
I’m not gonna argue with much of what Bill said because, honestly? He’s right. That was the brutal thing about listening to his podcast this time around. Usually, you can push back, dissect his dismissive takes on the Suns, or laugh at how he glosses over Phoenix like it’s some footnote in the league. But this time? He was relentless, hammering the truth home, point after point after point.
Is Beal an issue? Does this team feel miserable? Could KD be part of the problem? Are the Suns, as a whole, annoying?
The answer to all of it: yes. Painful, soul-crushing, undeniable yes. And that’s what an outsider’s perspective looks like when they’re actually paying attention. It’s uncomfortable because it’s accurate.
Among players, though, it’s a different vibe. Everyone wants to come to Phoenix. Why? Because Mat Ishbia has his checkbook wide open, and he’s not afraid to use it. Jimmy Butler’s rumored obsession with joining the Suns isn’t about the weather; it’s about securing one last fat extension that his current play might not even justify. Phoenix is where you go if you want the bag and a shot at contention. That’s just the reality now.
But back to Bill’s take…tell me how he’s wrong. Seriously. I’ll wait. And that’s the beauty of this community: if I’m missing something, someone else will catch it, and we can hash it out right here. So let’s hear it. What do you think of Bill Simmons’ unfiltered Suns critique?