The Phoenix Suns' six-highest paid players are all wings after the Kevin Durant trade, which leaves the franchise with no point guard or center to speak of. Devin Booker, Jalen Green, and Bradley Beal are all score-first players. They also have Dillon Brooks, Grayson Allen, and Royce O’Neale fighting for minutes. The Suns are still over the second apron with a massively imbalanced roster.
Tyus Jones and Monte Morris will not return, so Phoenix is without a point guard. They could play Devin Booker on the ball more, but avoiding that was the entire reason for acquiring two ball-handlers last offseason. The Suns need someone to fill this spot.
Their issues at the five are even bigger. The Suns cannot go into the 2025-26 season with all wings and nothing else. It is why fans should expect the franchise to make more moves.
Suns have too many wings after the Kevin Durant trade
Phoenix will not be content with Nick Richards and Oso Ighodaro as their center rotation next season. They want an upgrade at the five, and many thought it would come in the KD trade. They could flip Allen, Brooks, O’Neale, or Green to acquire one, but it would cost them valuable draft capital.
The Suns have to get younger and less expensive. It is why they prioritized a 2025 lottery pick in the Durant deal. Letting draft capital go to find a center doesn’t make a ton of sense, especially as it won’t make Phoenix a serious title threat next season.
The Suns are operating from a point of weakness again. Teams know they are desperate for a center and have no viable point guard on their roster. They will certainly charge Phoenix a premium to fill those holes, which will only further complicate the franchise’s murky future. Such is life in the Mat Ishbia era, even if the owner finally admitted a mistake.
The Suns plan on keeping Booker and building around him. The other five wings could be on the block as Phoenix tries to find a workable trade. It won’t be easy, but nothing has been since Ishbia took over. He tried to quickly buy his way into contention, but the plan failed miserably. All fans can do is hope he learns from his mistakes and starts to improve.
The Phoenix Suns already had too many wings before acquiring two more in the Kevin Durant trade. Now, it has become an even bigger problem. The only way to fix it is to make another bold move. It is risky, but the Suns have to bet big to win big. Ishbia has no plans of tanking. The Suns want to win now. They need more pieces to get. It is on ownership and the front office to deliver it.