The downfall of the Phoenix Suns continues to be dissected by the NBA universe. At 28-33, the squad led by Kevin Durant and Devin Booker would miss the playoffs if the season ended today, including a Play-In opportunity. Their poor record has since been overshadowed by head coach Mike Budenholzer, whose job is hanging by a thread after it was reported that he is “miserable to deal with”.
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Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson weighed in on the Suns’ horrible season on the latest edition of their All The Smoke podcast. Barnes mentioned that Book has had 7 different head coaches in the 10 years he’s been in Phoenix. “He just hasn’t had the time to build a relationship with nobody,” added Jackson, who then questioned whether Bud and Book could get there if they were given more time.
The duo then weighed in on the story of Bud telling Booker to “communicate less” on the court, a story that made the veteran head coach look awful in the eyes of his team. Stak stated that there’s clearly not a lot of “mutual respect” between Bud and his star point guard, which he believed is causing “more turmoil” on the Suns bench.
Barnes later criticized Suns owner Matt Ishbia for bringing in Bradley Beal on a “no-trade clause”, a decision he disliked since the backcourt of Beal, Durant, and Book was just “straight scorers” and not very balanced. He stated that things became worse when they attempted to trade Beal, and then later Durant, at the deadline with no luck. KD denied a potential trade to the Heat and the Warriors.
Stak and Barnes wondered where KD and Book would end up since their Suns’ contracts were nearing their end. Barnes asked Jackson where he thought certain people might end up after Stak admitted he “hoped” they would all leave to win someplace else. “I would love to see KD in Dallas with Kyrie and AD if they can make that happen,” Jackson said.
The duo then remembered that Booker is from Michigan, and a return to the Motor City as a member of the Pistons might benefit him the most. “I would love to see him go back. I would love to see him go back home. I think that would be a great piece to keep that organization going in the right direction,” added Jackson.
Are new owners the real culprits of the NBA?
Regardless of whether KD or Book do leave, Barnes sees a bigger issue. He pointed the finger at ownership, mentioning how new owners who are “not as familiar with ball” are coming in and messing up the way things operate. Along with Ishbia, he also mentioned Rick Schnall and Gabe Plotkin from the Hornets and new Mavericks owner Patrick Dumont.
Dumont took over majority ownership in 2024, and was on pace to have a good track record. The Mavericks made the NBA finals last year, but were utterly dominated by the Celtics in the series, who won in five games. Dumont then lost all credibility after dealing away Luka Doncic for Anthony Davis. AD is now hurt, along with Kyrie Irving, while Doncic and the Lakers are #2 in the West.
The Suns made the playoffs in 2023 and 2024, which were the first two seasons under Ishbia’s ownership. However, this season, the squad may miss the playoffs altogether, and he might lose his top talent because of it. Suns’ fans were not too happy about his hiring of Budenholzer in 2024, and look where that’s got them.
The Hornets have not made the playoffs since the 2015-2016 season, when the team was owned by Michael Jordan. However, they have not faired much better under Plotkin or Schnall, who bought the team from MJ in 2023. The co-chairmen did invest in new facilities for the team, but it hasn’t helped their losing ways get any better.
