The Phoenix Suns got back to winning ways on Wednesday night - although it was hardly a statement victory - as they got the better of the lowly Chicago Bulls. A 127-121 victory not exactly a reason to celebrate, although injury news above them in the standings might make this one more significant once the regular season is finished.
Bradley Beal was again missing through injury, with head coach Mike Budenholzer electing to go for a nine-man rotation that had more of a playoff feel to it. Both Kevin Durant and Devin Booker played 36 minutes each, while there was room for both rookies in Ryan Dunn (who once again started) and Oso Ighodaro.
Durant's praise of Budenholzer to the media caught people off guard.
In the aftermath of the win, Durant was speaking to the assembled media when the topic of coach Budenholzer's rotations and which lineups he has used to good effect recently came up. Rather than use this as an opportunity to drive a further wedge between them - there have been a couple of public spats this season - the 36-year-old went in the opposite direction.
Kevin Durant credited Mike Budenholzer finding the right lineups lately: "It's a tough job as a coach to figure out who those guys are and how consistent they are every single night....But I feel like Bud is figuring stuff out and figuring out which guys need to work in" pic.twitter.com/ank65T0LJ2
— Gerald Bourguet (@GeraldBourguet) March 20, 2025
This was an excellent and needed approach from Durant, who at times this season has looked like he is not jiving with what coach Budenholzer is trying to do on the offensive end. Just the other day rumors came out that their relationship was beyond repair, with Durant urging the head coach to simplify the offensive game plan.
But rather than double down on that belief, Durant instead backed Budenholzer at a critical time in the season. Most fans will be surprised if the Suns make the playoffs at this point - but if the unlikely does happen - having everybody on the same page is one of the first steps in trying to make some noise. Last season Beal and previous head coach Frank Vogel clashed, and that was good for nobody.
Oh… pic.twitter.com/VW2nCAWtqt
— Mike Vigil (@protectedpick) April 29, 2024
There is a more cynical angle you can take here, although it is still one that ultimately is a good thing if it leads to everybody getting along and the team winning more games. Durant already likely knows if he's headed for the exit door this summer - the Suns tried to trade him at the deadline - and right now his value probably isn't what you think it is.
It's one thing to be 37-years-old by the time next season starts, have a patchy injury record and also not impact winning games the way you used to. Plenty of teams could talk themselves into Durant with that being the case, but it gets harder if he's also known as a tough star to deal with who clashes with head coaches.
That is a problem that stretches back to his days with the Brooklyn Nets, when he supposedly pushed for and later on was cool with that organization firing Steve Nash. The Suns just ditched Vogel after one season - paying him off to do so - and would rather not have to go down that same route with Budenholzer. Even if right now that looks inevitable.
A rare win for the Suns in what has been a wretched season - and if Durant can find a way to give his best to Budenholzer and this team down the stretch - then they might just go out with a bit more fight than we've seen from them all season. If nothing else the unwelcome distraction of gossiping about them two being at each other may finally go away. A mature and smart move from Durant here.