A lot is happening in and around the Phoenix Suns team and organization. However, the players need to keep their focus where it should be, the Brooklyn Nets.
Winners of eight of their last ten games, the Suns are back in the thick of the Western Conference playoff discussion sitting in fifth place as of this morning. However, there will be a lot of noise surrounding the Phoenix Suns over the next few days as the team ends its road trip; therefore, keeping focus amidst the distractions will be paramount for finishing this road trip with success.
Lots of non-basketball stuff surrounding the Suns
There are a lot of storylines for Phoenix heading into Brooklyn on Tuesday evening. The Nets just traded Kyrie Irving, and reports suggest the Suns were part of the discussions, shopping veteran Chris Paul, along with Jae Crowder and draft picks to try and land the mercurial point guard. Ultimately, Brooklyn sent Irving to Dallas; however, what does that mean for Paul, and how will CP3 respond to the idea that he is on the block with the trade deadline approaching?
Getting past Paul the trade deadline is big business in the NBA, and with Crowder seemingly on his way out, there is likely some discussion in the locker room about who will be joining the team and if anyone – besides Paul – might be part of a move involving Crowder.
In addition to the outside noise of the trade deadline, the Suns have two exciting developments, one on and one off the course. On the court, Devin Booker is supposed to be back against the Nets after missing more than a month of action. Off the court, the sale of the Suns – and the WBNA Phoenix Mercury – to Mat Ishbia from Robert Sarver has received approval from the NBA Board of Governors and should have final closing later this week.
To say there is a lot of commotion in and around the Suns would be an understatement. However, almost everything – except Booker’s return – is beyond the team’s control. What is in the team’s control is how they focus and perform on the court. With all the noise, the court may provide some respite from the chaos that currently is the Phoenix Suns franchise. If the team can maintain that focus, they can beat Brooklyn and move on to bigger and better things.