The Phoenix Suns find themselves in a difficult spot halfway through the decade, and it is mostly of their own doing. It is hard to believe that it was less than four years ago that they were in the NBA Finals, with a roster that looks completely different to the one that is battling for a play-in spot in 2025.
Two key decisions have led to this moment, with trading away the farm to go and get Kevin Durant most certainly one of them. The 36-year-old continues to be great offensively - so great in fact that new owner syndrome might strike again this summer - but if we're looking at his time in Phoenix as a whole, it has failed to live up to expectations.
Not drafting Luka Doncic when they could have was their biggest miss.
The decision to take Arizona center Deandre Ayton first overall in 2018 didn't seem like a complete disaster at the time - and in 2021 you could argue it was the right call after the Suns made it to the finals - but it only went downhill from there. He was eventually shipped out of town for a package headlined by Grayson Allen and Jusuf Nurkic, and we all know how it ended with the Bosnian big man.
Tim McMahon of ESPN has just brought out a new book on Doncic titled "The Wonder Boy - Luka Doncic and the Curse of Greatness" - and as part of his media tour to promote the book - was on The Ryen Russillo podcast recently to talk about it.
Doncic being taken third by the Atlanta Hawks and moved to the Dallas Mavericks - who at fifth selected Trae Young - inevitably came up, as well as the fact that then Suns' head coach Igor Kokoskov begged owner Robert Sarver to select Doncic first overall. He had as good a view to his emerging talents as anybody, coaching Doncic on the Slovenian national team.
Not only that, but Kokoskov apparently wanted Swiss center Clint Capela to also get taken by the Suns, giving Doncic and Devin Booker a rim-running big to play with. Capela never reached the highs that Ayton enjoyed a few short years ago, but he's also had a nice career and hasn't been a disappointment either.
It is frustrating if you're a fan of Phoenix to know that Sarver - who the fanbase could not wait to see the back of - stopped what would have been possibly the greatest pairing in the history of The Valley. It is no secret that Doncic has enjoyed remarkable success playing against the Suns - it is not hard for him to get up for those games after what happened - but he could have been playing for them.
So not only would the Suns have been in a better place long-term, they also wouldn't have had to deal with one of their biggest foes in Doncic every season in the Western Conference. That would have meant Durant never came to town, but Bradley Beal also would never have been acquired.
It is unclear if the Suns also would have moved for Mikal Bridges on the same night that both Ayton and Doncic came out - but even if that didn't happen - they still would have had the ultimate prize. Instead Doncic is closer to winning a first championship with the Los Angeles Lakers right now, than Booker is from getting over the line with the Suns. Sarver's ugly, unwanted parting gift...