Suns with Few Options Moving Forward Due to Lack of Draft Capital

Without the draft capital to make moves or the cap flexibility to shake things up, the Phoenix Suns appear to be stuck.

Nov 8, 2023; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Phoenix Suns general manager James Jones, center, and owner / Jamie Sabau-USA TODAY Sports

After trading for Kevin Durant last season and then Bradley Beal in the following offseason, the Phoenix Suns were officially all-in on winning a championship. But in a first-round matchup against the Minnesota Timberwolves, the Suns were swept in a blowout series that frankly wasn’t close. 

It was a disappointing conclusion to the season for Phoenix, who will pivot to the offseason with big decisions to make. With that in mind, the Suns don’t have many options. The window of contention was already very small given Beal (30) and Durant (35) were on the tail end of their respective primes, but now the pressure is on. 

To acquire the aforementioned pieces, the Suns dumped all of their draft capital — literally. At this point, Phoenix essentially has zero assets to trade for talent and improve this roster. Even if the Suns wanted to, there’s one more issue. Phoenix is very restricted from a monetary standpoint given the contracts of the star trio, along with the fact that Grayson Allen just signed a lucrative deal. 

The Suns clearly aren’t a contender with the way the roster is constructed, but there’s not many options to shake things up. Beal is a negative asset and would require Phoenix giving up assets to dump him. From there, Booker is the face of the franchise and needs to stick around.

This leaves Durant, who might be the most logical player to deal. The Suns will never get the same value back in a trade that they shipped out to acquire him, but at least that would provide some flexibility. 

The Suns are in a bad spot after being swept, but that’s the risk you take when going all-in. There’s a real chance that Phoenix doesn’t have another contending team for another five to eight years without some luck along the way. 

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