2 Drastic ways the Phoenix Suns can still save their season

The Phoenix Suns might have just enjoyed one of their best wins of the season - and the biggest comeback in franchise history - with victory over the L.A. Clippers the other night, but that doesn't mean all is well in Phoenix. It is cool that Collin Gillespie morphed into prime Steve Nash there for a minute, but that isn't a viable long-term solution here.

In truth this is a campaign that has likely already slipped away, although the misfortune of other organizations above the Suns might just present them with a route into the play-in tournament. Should that happen though, it is still likely to be a quick postseason exit, with the Houston Rockets waiting eagerly to pick up their first round draft pick this summer.

There are drastic ways the Suns can still salvage this season.

The front office already tried to do something like this at the trade deadline, effectively admitting that they'd be willing to send Kevin Durant to the Golden State Warriors for Jimmy Butler. We know that didn't happen - and instead Butler III, as he's going now - has been the spark the Warriors have needed to save their own faltering season.

There really would be no going back from either of these spicy attempts at trying to right the ship, but what do the Suns have to lose at this point? Bradley Beal's no-trade clause is a problem, while ensuring Devin Booker is happy should be the top priority right now. Time to seriously consider both of these options then.

2. Fire Mike Budenholzer right now

There is every chance that the Suns are going to can head coach Mike Budenholzer in the offseason anyway, so why not get a head start and do it now? We already know that previous leading man Frank Vogel somehow had this group - plus the now departed Jusuf Nurkic - with an above average defensive rating last season, while in February alone this team were the worst in the league.

Offensively it hasn't been much better, although coach Budenholzer did at least recently break a rule he has had in place all season. The positive impact that had was immediate. Firing yet another head coach is not a good look - although there'd be no shortage of candidates for the job - but it is likely the final outcome here.

Doing it now would allow the team to rally behind not just an interim guy who could actually get the job full-time down the road, but each other right now. They would have to hold the person next to them accountable, while in all manner of sports a curious thing tends to happen when a coach is fired. Opponents don't know how to read them, and they generally start to play better.

It would also give the players - rightly or wrongly - the chance to prove that the failures of this season were not on them, but rather a head coach who just never quite fit in The Valley, despite being an Arizona native. It is realistically the only way the organization can provide a major shake-up at this stage of the season.

1. Announce this is Kevin Durant's last year in Phoenix

As already mentioned, the Suns were ready to move on from 36-year-old Durant in favor of Butler at the deadline. The main stumbling block in a deal getting done was Durant's apparent unwillingness to go back to San Francisco, so he now finds himself for the first time in his career on a team that isn't doing everything they can to keep him.

So why not get ahead of all the negative press here and announce that this will be Durant's last season in Phoenix? An unconventional move for sure, and one that could drive the price for his services down as well. Then again, the cost to acquire Durant is as low as it has ever been, and that has nothing to do with his play or even how he has performed this season.

At this stage of his career he's a hired gun to try and get you over the hump. Or if you're an up-and-coming group such as the Rockets, Durant sells tickets and is that veteran closer who all of the young guys can learn from. That was the case even before the Suns seemed to be over this whole experience, and it is no secret they want to move him anyway.

To actually come out and say it - much like firing Budenholzer - would surely light a fire under Durant and this whole team. Not quite "The Last Dance" in how it would work out, but everybody would know for certain that this is their last run of games together before Durant moves on. That is a powerful motivator, which is why it should be considered.