National Media Mixed on Suns' Future

PHOENIX -- The Phoenix Suns have doubled down on attempting to build a lasting contender.

The hiring of head coach Mike Budenholzer and subsequent comments by GM James Jones after the opening press conference ensure the belief that this core can win an NBA title.

How does the national media feel about that sentiment?

It's a mixed bag.

In a recent Bleacher Report piece exploring how the 30 teams in the league will fare over the next three seasons, author Andy Bailey ranked the Suns number 10 in the future power rankings.

The first half of the expose was quite lukewarm on the ultimate near future of the franchise, with Bailey expanding on the concerns below:

"Having the Phoenix Suns in the top 10 may feel a bit too reverential toward the talent of Kevin Durant and Devin Booker.

"They struggled their way to 49 wins and the sixth seed in the West, only to be obliterated by the Minnesota Timberwolves in the playoffs.

"Bradley Beal might have the worst contract in the NBA, and his lack of availability was a big part of the team's disappointing regular season.

"And because they already leveraged themselves to the hilt with the Durant and Beal trades, there aren't many avenues toward meaningful, positive change.

"Sure, Phoenix could move Booker and Durant for assets, but that obviously wouldn't improve its position in this exercise."
Andy Bailey

The majority of this justification is true, as Beal's no-trade clause makes him virtually immovable and the sweep at the hands of the Minnesota Timberwolves didn't look great at all optically speaking for the future of this franchise.

But 49 wins is 49 wins. The Suns were on the brink of hitting the 50-win mark that the bulk of contenders strive to hit.

The Suns should be feeling quite confident about hitting the mark in 2025.

Bailey eventually acknowledged the upside the team still has over the 3-year window.

"Having said all that, there were still flashes of championship upside all over the regular season. We've already seen Durant make it all the way to the mountaintop twice. Booker helped the team get to the Finals in 2021.

"And when those two were on the floor with Beal, Grayson Allen and Jusuf Nurkić, Phoenix was plus-10.4 points per 100 possessions.

"The runway may not be super long for Durant, but we're only talking about a three-year window here.

"There's a chance that a year of continuity for that group and some timely off-the-bench contributions from Eric Gordon could have Phoenix in the hunt for a title as early as 2025."

Bailey

The acknowledgement here feels much more like a tepid endorsement of the duo of Durant and Booker than anything.

Even those lukewarm on the Suns moving forward tend to agree that a team with multiple superstars will have a chance against virtually anyone.

The Suns simply need some roster tweaks and to find more reliability around Eric Gordon off the bench - if Gordon is to return, that is.