Suns Reaching Point Where It Might Be Time To Consider Pulling Plug

Forget the wins and losses: How is a Phoenix Suns team with Kevin Durant this boring? That was the question asked by The Athletic’s John Hollinger, and he’s right. Kevin Durant, Suns, NBA

This is the Suns in 2025 — slow, stagnant, and uninspiring basketball at its finest. You’d think a squad with one of the most gifted scorers of all time in Durant, and an All-Star in Devin Booker, would be dynamic and engaging. But instead, they’re a glorified mid-range machine.

Yes, they snapped a four-game skid by beating the Philadelphia 76ers on Tuesday, but that’s almost beside the point.

They just slowly dribble up the court, stare at the defense, and wait for one of their stars to jack up a contested jumper. It’s almost like they’re trying to make the mid-range shot the hero of the NBA again.

Phoenix leads the league in mid-range attempts, and by a significant margin. But in an era where the game is dominated by 3-pointers, the Suns’ style feels like a throwback — just not in a good way.

This isn’t the kind of nostalgia that excites. It’s not even close to the smooth, fluid offensive systems we’ve seen from the likes of Cleveland and Oklahoma City. It’s methodical, predictable, and dare we say, kind of lifeless.

While the rest of the NBA is sprinting to space and pulling up from deep, the Suns are trudging through the motions with a roster full of players who seem allergic to the rim.

And it’s not just the offense that’s lacking energy. Phoenix ranks dead last in dunks, dead last in layups, and, perhaps most damning of all, dead last in attempts at the rim — as just 14.8% of their shots come from the restricted area.

How is a team with Durant and Booker not living in the paint? It’s one thing to be old-school, but it’s another to refuse to take what the defense gives you. As Hollinger wrote, the Suns’ offensive philosophy is essentially saying, “We’ll settle for the 15-footer, thank you,” which is the kind of thing you’d expect from a 90s-era coach, not a modern-day squad.

But hey, let’s talk about the defense, too — because that’s been almost as bad. The Suns are ranked 25th in defense, and it’s no secret their rotation up front is a problem.

Jusuf Nurkić looks a shadow of his former self. Mason Plumlee is serviceable, but what’s he really giving you? Five dribbles before a wild perimeter pass?

Then there’s the much-ballyhooed “play Durant at center” experiment, but let’s be honest, that’s a 5-minute patch job that barely holds water. The Suns are missing depth and, more crucially, a true interior presence.

But perhaps the biggest misstep of all was the Bradley Beal trade. Sure, it seemed like a win-now move at the time, but now? Yikes. Phoenix gave up four pick swaps, six second-round picks, and Chris Paul to take on Beal’s colossal contract and his no-trade clause.

The Suns were in control here, but they let Beal dictate the terms. The worst part? They threw Paul in the deal like he was washed up, even though at 39, he’s still the type of veteran they could use — a guy who actually knows how to run an offense. What were they thinking?

All this drama has set Phoenix up for what could be a long, dark winter. You’d be hard-pressed to find anyone who thought they’d be this bad after the Durant trade, but here we are, stuck in a weird limbo between mediocrity and disarray.

The stars aren’t going to stay happy if this keeps up. At some point, the Suns are going to have to face reality. Their current roster isn’t built for sustained success, and it might be time for a reset. And who knows? Maybe it’ll be Durant or Booker who asks for a change first.

This could end up being the beginning of a full-blown rebuild. We all saw the red flags, but it’s getting uglier by the day. Time to pull the plug? Could be sooner than later.