Suns Offseason Primer: No Picks, No Cap Room, No Clear Plan And A Roster No One Wants

The Phoenix Suns spent the past year swinging for a title, only to wind up flat on their backs with a 36-46 record, zero postseason games, and a bill larger than Mat Ishbia’s ego.

Last summer, Ishbia looked straight into a camera and proudly declared that 26 NBA teams would trade their roster and draft picks for the Suns’. One year, one failed coach, and one fire sale later, you’d be lucky to find one GM who’d make that deal.

Said ESPN’s Bobby Marks: “Phoenix, as a restaurant review, would be the menu is overpriced. It looks good, man, when you look at it — but the menu is overpriced.”

The Reality Check

In theory, Devin Booker, Kevin Durant, and Bradley Beal should have worked. Three All-Stars. Three guys who can get buckets. But in reality? No identity. No defense. And by year’s end, no fight. As Marks put it, “(They were) a team that had zero identity, zero fight, some quit, and no defensive identity.”

The numbers are just as ugly. Phoenix used 35 different starting lineups and went 3-17 without Durant. They ranked 27th in defense and were practically allergic to guarding anyone after a timeout.

Booker’s still untouchable. Durant is entering the final year of his deal and might be the Suns’ best path to a reset. And Beal? Well, he still has that no-trade clause — and the worst net rating in the league among 239 players with at least 1,000 minutes played.

You read that right. Worst.

Money, Meet Fire

Next season, Phoenix is projected to be $25 million over the second apron. That’s four straight years over the luxury tax, with a potential $450 million in payroll and penalties on the table if they run it back.

The Suns can create a bit of breathing room by declining Vasilije Micic’s $8.1 million team option and waiving Cody Martin’s $8.7 million deal before it guarantees. But unless they do something drastic, the books are cooked.

They can’t even use the trade exceptions they created during the season. They’re barred from aggregating salaries until July. They can’t buy a second-round pick. This is financial gridlock at its most depressing.

Said Marks, who once picked Phoenix to reach the Finals: “I drank the Kool-Aid… What looks good on paper does not always translate to the court.”

Time to Face the Music

So, what now?

The Suns will hire their third head coach in three years. They’ll likely explore trade options for Durant, though that gets tricky. He’s eligible for a two-year, $124 million extension right after the Finals. That extension — or a willingness to sign it — could determine whether teams even consider making a move for him.

As for Beal, even a buyout isn’t simple. His $111 million remaining can’t be stretched due to league rules. A reduced buyout to something like $90 million is possible, but even that would sting.

And remember, Beal controls his destiny with that no-trade clause. There’s no waiving him and pretending this didn’t happen.

Draft Picks, But Not Much Wiggle Room

Phoenix does have pick No. 29 (via Cleveland) and a second-rounder (wherever it lands among 52-55). That’s something. But they can’t trade much else — just one of their firsts in either 2028 or 2029. And only three second-rounders are tradable.

Draft-night magic? It’d better be David Blaine-level.

Durant Watch Begins

Durant said he wants to end his career on his terms. Problem is, Phoenix might not be the right place for that ending.

If the Suns trade him, they’ll need to work with his reps, and any team acquiring him will likely want a commitment beyond 2026, when he can become a free agent.

If the Suns don’t trade him? Well, then they’d better hope a 36-year-old KD can still carry a massive load with an injury history that’s becoming harder to ignore.

Extension Decisions

Durant isn’t the only extension possibility. Booker is eligible for another two years and nearly $150 million, which would keep him in Phoenix through 2030. But Booker has always been the one building block they won’t touch.

Everyone else? From Nick Richards to Cody Martin to Micic? Extension talk is likely the last thing on the front office’s mind.

The Bottom Line

Mat Ishbia can talk about not liking rebuilds all he wants. But when you’re over the apron, short on picks, and holding three max contracts with little flexibility, the question isn’t if the rebuild is coming — it’s how painful it’ll be.

For now, Phoenix is a team with no defense, a $450 million payroll, and one win away from the draft lottery. Not quite the “great position” Ishbia sold last summer.

So yes, Mat. The house is on fire.

And unless something changes fast, it’s going to burn a while longer.