The Phoenix Suns have finally moved on from Kevin Durant, although that is far from the only business they will be hoping to conduct this offseason. There's the small matter of convincing Bradley Beal to part with his no-trade clause and head elsewhere - there might even be interest for him back East - or else risk being bought out by the franchise.
The Suns also have the 10th and 29th picks in the NBA Draft, and will have the opportunity to begin to surround Devin Booker with young and hungry players moving forward. Something they did a nice job of last year, when they selected Ryan Dunn and Oso Ighodaro. The organization did fumble one aspect of the Durant deal badly, as they strive to get back to winning ways.
The Suns are still a second apron team in even worse shape than before.
Part of the logic behind moving on from Durant was that the Suns could begin to get their cap sheet looking healthier than it has been since Mat Ishbia bought the team. But in bringing back both Jalen Green and Dillon Brooks, the Suns are not only still in the second apron, they're even deeper into it than they were before Durant was moved to the Houston Rockets.
This continues to limit the kinds of trades the franchise can make moving forward, while the repeater tax bill coming Ishbia's way is going to make his eyes water. That was acceptable when the Suns were being billed as a potential contender - but with only 36 wins last season and Durant having skipped town - they are a long way from that right now.
The Suns also don't look like they want to have a fire sale either, although the Boston Celtics have just had some success doing the same thing. They got rid of two key pieces of their 2024 title run - Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis - in the space of 24 hours. Two players the Suns would surely love to have - but because they are in that second apron - a deal is difficult to make.
Porzingis in particular was somebody who Phoenix was said to have interest in, although when all is said and done it could be another former All-Star big who heads to The Valley this summer. Simply moving on from guys is again hard to do if you're the Suns, because the interest in their available players just isn't there.
Beal is in control of his own destiny, while Booker is obviously off the table at this point. Somebody like Grayson Allen - who the Suns need to move on from anyway - is available and could help their cap sheet if he's essentially given away. But he had a poor season last year, and his value is as low as it has been since entering the league. The point of moving Durant was to escape this kind of hell.