While many basketball fans are fixated on talent and may think the most talented teams win championships, that isn’t always the case at the NBA level.
Over the last couple of years, one NBA team has had just about as much star power as any other, but it has failed to be much more than a mediocre squad.
The Phoenix Suns were expected by many to become contenders when they traded for Kevin Durant two years ago and followed up that trade with one for star guard Bradley Beal during the summer of 2023.
But they have almost nothing to show for both deals, and right now, they’re in grave danger of missing the play-in tournament, especially after Kevin Durant suffered an ankle injury on Sunday and is expected to miss at least one week of action.
ESPN personality Stephen A. Smith had some harsh words for the Suns on “First Take.”
“The Phoenix Suns are an atrocity. They are bad for basketball.”
“The Phoenix Suns are an atrocity. They are bad for basketball.”
—@stephenasmith
pic.twitter.com/JE8DdUqrFG
— First Take (@FirstTake) March 31, 2025
Optimism was high for the Suns upon Durant’s arrival, but they only got as far as the second round of the playoffs in 2023 and suffered a first-round sweep at the hands of the Minnesota Timberwolves last year.
They started 9-2 this season, but injuries and poor play caused their record to drop fairly quickly, and they’re now in 11th place in the Western Conference with a 35-40 record.
No matter how this season turns out for the Suns, they’re expected to trade the 36-year-old Durant this summer, which means they could be in rebuilding mode just months from now.
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