This year’s postseason campaign has certainly been an uncomfortable affair for the Phoenix Suns, signs of which were visible throughout the season. Last night, the Minnesota Timberwolves defeated the Suns 126-109 in Game 3 of their opening-round series, pushing the supposed ‘super-team’ even further down the brink of elimination. What’s more embarrassing was the Suns’ loss by a double-figure margin, prompting the home crowd to boo the Big-3. Now some new information has surfaced that might frustrate Phoenix fans even further.
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Before the start of the 2023-24 season, the Suns were touted as one of the favorites to win the Championship. The Big Three of Devin Booker, Kevin Durant, and Bradley Beal promised the emergence of a Super team in the league, something reminiscent of the 2011-12 Miami Heat. However, that never seemed to materialize, perhaps because Phoenix never paid attention to the underlying fractures that plagued their tandem. Meanwhile, the Suns’ bust might be more costly than what fans think.
While everyone has been putting the Big Three under scrutiny after the loss, ESPN Insider Bobby Marks reported on the estimated earnings of the Suns superstars next season through a tweet on X. Marks highlighted that Devin Booker, Bradley Beal, and Kevin Durant’s current contracts will bring them a cumulative income of $150 million in the upcoming season. To put that into perspective, the salary of these three players will be more than 14 teams’ total payrolls in 2024-25.
As expected, most Suns fans haven’t been too kind about their Big-Three’s output. In fact, their high payroll has also limited the cap space for the team, which further limits their chances to rectify this year’s mistakes during the upcoming off-season. Quoting Marks’ tweet, one fan sarcastically thanked Suns’ owner Mat Ishbia for assembling ‘the most pathetic losers’ with the highest imaginable payroll in the league. “THANK YOU MAT ISHBIA! WE ASSEMBLED THE MOST PATHETIC LOSER PLAYERS WITH THE HIGHEST PAYROLL YOU CAN EVER IMAGINE,” the fan wrote.
Another fan highlighted how the Suns’ $150 million rather went into waste as they haven’t been able to capture any significant wins this season.
One fan suggested they trade Bradley Beal and Kevin Durant during the offseason. This could help the Suns get some picks and role players back and build their team around Devin Booker. However, Bobby Marks quickly reminded the fan how Bradley Beal’s contract had the ‘no-trade’ clause, which leaves the veteran guard with control over his destiny.
A win on Sunday will set up the Timberwolves’ matchup against the winner of the series between the Lakers and the Nuggets in the Western Conference Semifinals. The Nuggets, at the same time, also hold a similar 3-0 lead over the Lakers in that series.
The Phoenix Suns have a lot of problems to fix this offseason
Currently, the Suns seem to be entering a precarious position ahead of their upcoming Game 4. To date, no NBA team has been able to recover from a 0-3 hole in the playoffs. As much as the Suns’ First Round exit seem imminent, they might also have to answer some uncomfortable questions this summer. The foremost of such questions will be their point guard situation, which they had been stalling throughout the season.
In this regard, the Suns could perhaps try getting their hands on the Detroit Pistons point guard Killian Hayes this offseason. The Suns had eyes on Hayes even during the 2024 Trade Deadline, as he is soon set to be a restricted free agent. Hayes fits their requirement for a pure point guard. However, the only thing that could stop them in approaching the Pistons guard is his below-30% three-point shooting and a lack of scoring skillset.
Nevertheless, the Suns also have options in getting Delon Wright from the Wizards or reacquiring Ish Smith from the Hornets. It is of utmost necessity for the franchise to resolve their current issues to avoid another disastrous campaign in the 2024-25 season.
