Watching two NBA titans go at it in this Western Conference Finals matchup between the Thunder and Spurs really puts into perspective just how much better they are than the rest of the league, but that's no reason to back down to them.
After the Suns were handily swept by the Thunder in Round 1, it felt as if there was a world between them and the league's best. Although that may currently be the case, things change quickly in the NBA, and that's something that can work in the Suns' favor.
NBA dynasties are a thing of the past
The Thunder and Spurs may be enjoying the benefits of scoring a slew of young talent on their roster, but it won't be long before payday hits for their young stars and they begin to see the consequences of it.
Following the recent years of dominance by the Warriors' dynasty, it seems the NBA's intent is to restore parity in the league, which means building a long-standing contender has become a near-impossible feat.
The first obstacle imposed by the NBA was the implementation of the tax aprons. With this, the NBA seriously penalizes teams that spend far beyond the salary cap, and it's become more than just a financial burden for ownership.
These penalties include, but are not limited to, freezing future draft picks with the potential to move them to the end of the round, inability to aggregate players in trades or receive more salary than salary sent out, inability to sign bought-out players, among many other restrictions.
The NBA isn't stopping there, with the upcoming flattening of draft lottery odds also set to prohibit tanking and further even out the landscape of the league. With this, the bottom half of the league will have a mostly even shot at landing the #1 pick, which means future picks become much more valuable.
Now, pair the flattening of lottery odds with the apron penalties regarding draft picks, and teams will seriously reconsider going over the apron or trading future picks to land a superstar.
The Suns know better than anyone how fast the NBA changes
With these structural changes to the league, the top of the standings is set to be ever-changing, but that's not even an entirely new concept.
The juggernaut that is the Oklahoma City Thunder was a lottery team just three years ago. Over that same span, the Bucks went from top-of-the-league and a recent championship-winner to on the brink of trading Giannis Antetokounmpo and entering a complete rebuild.
Suns fans know this story all too well. It almost seemed like there was a dynasty being built in Phoenix after they followed up their NBA Finals run with a 64-win season, but after a Game 7 collapse in the playoffs and an ownership change, they traded it all for a chance at building a superteam with Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal.
Although they're still suffering the consequences of their effort to build a superteam, the Suns have left that story in the past, and an encouraging 2025-26 season and exciting young talent in Phoenix is something to build upon.
Knowing the apron-tax reaper that's coming for the Thunder and Spurs, the Suns should take this opportunity to build a contender to combat them, not bow to them.
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