Valley of the Suns
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Five signs this season has been a failure

By Adam Maynes

PHOENIX, AZ - JANUARY 26: Dragan Bender #35 of the Phoenix Suns looks on during the game against the New York Knicks on January 26, 2018 at Talking Stick Resort Arena in Phoenix, Arizona. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Michael Gonzales/NBAE via Getty Images)
PHOENIX, AZ - JANUARY 26: Dragan Bender #35 of the Phoenix Suns looks on during the game against the New York Knicks on January 26, 2018 at Talking Stick Resort Arena in Phoenix, Arizona. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Michael Gonzales/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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The Eric Bledsoe situation was a terrible blemish on the season

Eric Bledsoe was always going to be traded. He requested a trade very late in the offseason, McDonough knew it, but wanted to cultivate the best option possible and it was likely going to take some time to find the absolute best return for Phoenix’s second best player – and at least at the start of the season, arguably their best  player.

So when Bledsoe demanded a trade, the third Suns point guard to do so in as many years, it not only cast a huge shadow over the franchise but on the season as well.

What’s worse is that many argued that McDonough didn’t handle the situation well. McDonough took Bledsoe’s cryptic tweet (as sincere as it likely was) and blew it up in the media, publicly shamed Bledsoe and his representation, and suspended Bledsoe indefinitely versus demanding he play out his contract until a suitable trade partner could be found.

The trade ended up not being that  bad for the Suns as they not only got cap relief for this summer but also a heavily protected first round pick that could very much transfer this summer, but one has to wonder how much more was left on the table because of the trade demand and Phoenix’s willingness to publicly and angrily  oblige.

The trade also failed to bring back a point guard of any kind, leaving Phoenix without a point guard of the future. Sure, this might have been difficult to pull off regardless of the trade demand situation, but for a team that only recently had three very talented starting quality point guards on their roster, following the Bledsoe move, they are now left with none.

For a team that has many holes to fill this offseason, to potentially have been able to avoid finding someone to fill in the point guard spot this summer, would have been a tremendous boon to the rebuilding process.

Next: Five signs the 2017-18 season has been a success

Overall, it is difficult to ever find positives in a 60+ loss season, especially for a once proud franchise who could be penciled in to make the playoffs every season, yet now has missed out for each of the past eight.

The 2017-18 season was a miserable one for the Phoenix Suns with very little to feel excited about moving forward, and little in the way of playoff hope for next season. With so much losing, and such a loose foundation with which to build, this past season has been an abject failure.

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