Wait it out
Trying to make the playoffs this year would mean giving up important assets, and that still wouldn’t guarantee actually making it. A tank would give the Phoenix Suns another elite talent, but it would rub fans and players the wrong way.
It’s takes a lot of courage to choose either of these paths. It’s the kind of thing that can get people fired if it doesn’t work out. And because of that, most teams choose a third path, which isn’t really a path at all. In all likelihood, the Suns will choose to just wait it out this season.
If they did choose to wait it out, it would come with doing a lot of nothing. They’d trade for an average point guard that can hold them over for the time being. They’d give more minutes to Trevor Ariza and Ryan Anderson than Mikal Bridges and Josh Jackson, adding a few meaningless wins while wasting development opportunities for their young wings.
They’d be quiet at the deadline, not wanting to be labeled buyers or sellers. They’d win way more than last season, but they still wouldn’t be anywhere close to making the playoffs.
The season wouldn’t necessarily be a step back, but it wouldn’t be a step forward. The first path has playoff experience. The second path has asset acquisition. The third path has neither. For an average team in an average situation, paths one and two are essentially impossible with the group they have in place. But that’s not the case for this Phoenix Suns team.
The Suns should do everything they can to put good pieces around Ayton and Booker in both the present and the future. The wait it out direction won’t ruin what they already have in place, but the extra five to ten wins aren’t worth missing out on a top prospect.
The easiest and most likely path is to try to maximize wins with the group already here. It’s the least prudent direction of the three, but it’s also the least controversial.
Of course, Ryan McDonough has shown he’s not afraid to be bold, and he may take a big chance on a playoff push or yet another tank. It’ll be interesting to see where the team stands after the first quarter of the season.