Suns are stuck in the worst possible position with no way out

Despite having a much more active and productive offseason than anybody thought imaginable, the Phoenix Suns remain in one of the worst situations in the entire NBA. It could be worse though, as Bradley Beal's new head coach believes that his team got a steal in landing the 32-year-old after he was jettisoned from Phoenix.

But even though Beal and Kevin Durant are no longer in The Valley - and just as importantly Devin Booker is - that doesn't mean that they've fixed the glaring issues here. Getting under both aprons was also impressive, but it will mean the franchise are paying Beal to not play for them for the next half decade.

Suns have no other way to escape nightmare reality.

But by keeping Booker - and the fans would revolt if they traded him at this point - the Suns have actually made their future the worst in the league. This is because they are now caught between trying to build a contender around a 28-year-old who is signed through to the end of the decade, and not having the tools to do so.

We've already seen from the failed Jonathan Kuminga trade of a few weeks back that the Suns don't have the kind of trade packages to get considerably better with what they've got on their roster. The best they can offer is some combination of Grayson Allen, Royce O'Neale, Nick Richards and four second round picks, which isn't much of anything really.

You likely wouldn't get a single first round pick for any of those guys individually, which is the one asset the franchise desperately needs. To make matters worse the ones they gave away have become among the most valuable trade pieces in the entire league, another reason the front office have lurched from one disaster to the next.

The best version of their first round pick in 2026 won't be coming their way thanks to the Beal deal, so tanking this coming season isn't even in their best interests either. Really the Suns don't have control over their future until the turn of the decade, at which point Booker will be long gone or else wish he had of asked out given the situation this franchise has put itself in.

Even the top players on their roster don't fit together brilliantly either, as Booker and Jalen Green play the same position. They are the two best offensive weapons this team has, while there isn't a high level point guard to run the show either. Dillon Brooks is going to be massively helpful, but it also shows how far away from being taken seriously the Suns are that that is the case.

So while it is nice to see the likes of Khaman Maluach and Koby Brea bring some new life to The Valley, this is still the worst situation in the league. The obvious solution of trading Booker comes with its own flaws, between the fan backlash and also there being no guarantee the front office won't fumble the haul they would get for him. What a depressing place to be.