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With Kevin Durant traded and Bradley Beal bought out, here's the Phoenix Suns' thinking and the new direction they're heading in
The outlook in the Valley as has been dark for a while now, but after Bradley Beal’s buyout and the Kevin Durant trade from a few weeks ago, the sun has officially set on the Big 3 era. With it, comes a new dawn for the Phoenix Suns.
Granted, hardly anyone outside the state of Arizona is viewing this about-face as a positive, and even the most optimistic of fans can admit the last few years have been brutal. It stings to move on from an All-NBA caliber player like Durant just two-and-a-half years after acquiring him, and that’s without even mention the unceremonious end to Beal’s tenure that will likely come with dead money attached for the next five years. Going all in on that Big 3 resulted in just one playoff appearance and zero playoff wins. For a team with championship expectations, that type of failure was unacceptable.
But while the rest of the basketball world repeatedly uses Phoenix as a punchline, the Suns have quietly spent the last few weeks repositioning themselves for the next chapter. Internally, the front office feels confident about the way they’ve been able to regroup and check off multiple boxes that fit with the new identity that owner Mat Ishbia, general manager Brian Gregory, CEO Josh Bartelstein and coach Jordan Ott have all spoken about establishing.
It’ll take time for the rest of the league to accept or even fully comprehend what Phoenix is aiming for. But for those who have been paying attention to Ishbia’s exit interviews, Gregory’s introductory press conference, Ott’s intro presser and every other media availability this team has held over the last two months, the Suns have been consistent in following through on everything they promised to do.
Here’s an inside look at organization’s thinking behind their biggest offseason moves and new direction, with thoughts from multiple Suns sources who asked to remain anonymous.
Beal and the Suns part ways
It’s an abrupt end to Beal’s time in Phoenix, but multiple sources who spoke with PHNX Sports insisted there’s nothing malicious behind this parting of ways. The Suns never shared the fanbase’s negative (and occasionally toxic) attitude toward Beal, and they still think highly of his character. He just couldn’t stay healthy, the pieces didn’t fit, and Phoenix’s big gamble didn’t work. As an organization, they felt the need to move on in order to get things back on the rails as quickly as possible.
“Well, my view of Brad will never change, you know?” Brian Gregory said last week when asked about the Beal situation despite their close relationship. “With negotiations and contract stuff, we just don’t talk about the players. But your first point is true, and that will never change. It’s just not who we are as an organization, when it comes to people.”
The Suns have until Aug. 31 to officially decide to waive-and-stretch Beal’s remaining salary over the next five years. which would amount to approximately $19.4 million per year over that span. That’s an awful lot of dead money for one player who’s not even on the team for the next half-decade, but as we covered earlier, there are benefits to this painful resolution that aren’t being discussed as much as they should.
The Phoenix Suns tax/apron situation after an assumed waive-and-stretch of Bradley Beal:
🏀$2.1M under the luxury tax
🏀$8.6M under the first apron
🏀$20.5M under the second apron
— Keith Smith (@KeithSmithNBA) July 16, 2025
Ducking both tax aprons gives the Suns increased flexibility for trades, frees up the mid-level exception, ensures their 2033 first-round pick won’t be frozen, and puts Phoenix back on the path to unfreezing their 2032 pick. It’s a level of optionality that wouldn’t be available to the Suns otherwise, and while that level of dead money for that long will be a hindrance, it’d be a lot more bothersome for a front office that has to work around a stringent owner.
Despite the $200 million he’ll save in luxury tax payments this year, Mat Ishbia does not fit that description.
“The one thing Mat’s proven is he’ll pay,” one source said. “So it’s not as much the luxury tax, the tax is what it is, and [the Suns] will probably be back in the tax very soon.”
The key will be putting all that increased flexibility to good use and avoiding that second tax apron again. Freeing up the MLE helps for this summer, but among the remaining free agents, it’s hard to see many needle-movers left. Multiple sources confirmed the Suns’ next step after buying out Beal will be targeting a guard who can play on or off the ball, defend multiple positions and align with the toughness, energy level and basketball IQ Phoenix wants.
Those sources also confirmed that a reunion with Chris Paul is highly unlikely, while De’Anthony Melton — someone who fits that description to a tee — is likely to return to the Golden State Warriors. Malcolm Brogdon is another combo guard who’s been linked to multiple teams, but beyond that, the crop of free agency guards includes Gary Payton II, Russell Westbrook, Markelle Fultz, Dalano Banton, Cam Payne and Ben Simmons.
Even if the Suns don’t immediately use their MLE to sign some recognizable point guard, they’re approaching their open roster spots with a level of patience. Under the new CBA, Phoenix can absorb a player into their MLE like a trade exception as long as the player’s salary fits within the allotted amount. In the event of a buyout, they’ll be prepared as well. Signing a guard will be the top priority, but don’t be surprised if Phoenix waits to fill its final roster spot in the coming months, either with a trade or on the buyout market.
So in the likely event the Suns’ biggest moves are already done, what are we to make of the front office’s vision this offseason? And how well did they execute it?
Devin Booker is still the foundation
It was just over two years ago that the Suns pushed all their chips to the middle of the table by trading for Beal in order to form a Big 3 alongside Durant and Devin Booker. They understood the Big 3’s shelf life wouldn’t last forever, but in their minds, it was a gamble worth taking. Phoenix lost that bet, and in the wake of a disappointing season, they took a step back to reevaluate everything.
Despite having a season that was not up to his usual standards, Devin Booker remains the centerpiece Phoenix wants to build around. Multiple sources confirmed the Suns still view Booker as the type of superstar that only 10 or 15 teams in the league are lucky enough to have, and the organization put their money where their mouth was, giving Booker a two-year max contract extension on top of the three years left on his deal.
It was one of many moves this summer that’s been judged less by context — Booker is still a superstar despite having a down year, and the Suns would be crazy to trade him against his will! — and more by the Suns’ current reputation. But for their part, Phoenix still believes it can build a winner around the face of the franchise. The millions of dollars obviously had something to do with it, but the Suns appreciated how Booker “didn’t think about that for one second” when it came time to sign the extension.
According to multiple sources, Booker was very receptive to the Suns’ new direction and had direct input on the type of team they wanted to assemble around him. Every move that Phoenix made was with Booker in mind as the focal point. His long-term commitment to the Suns was matched by their commitment to building a great team around him.
Granted, the Suns understand they won’t be contending for a championship this season, and multiple sources acknowledged that expectations are different from three years ago. But despite having lowered title expectations entering the season, they still expect to compete, and Ishbia’s gone on record saying he expects to make the playoffs. The Western Conference is loaded, but either way, they want to establish a different reputation that was sorely lacking last season — one that’s built around several core components Phoenix has mentioned repeatedly over the last few months.
Suns embracing new identity
Rather than spend the next 5-10 years enduring a full-scale rebuild or floundering in their pursuit of a new direction, the Suns wanted to try to thread the needle between getting younger while still remaining competitive in the short-term. Coming off a 36-win season, the Suns brass knew they had to reevaluate the way this team played if they wanted to optimize the rest of Booker’s prime.
The Suns started with the immediate return from the Durant trade, acquiring Jalen Green and Dillon Brooks. As another ball-dominant 2-guard, Jalen Green’s fit next to Booker feels dubious, but the Suns believe the positive traits he brings — being able to get downhill with speed and explosiveness to take some heat off Booker — will help. Coming off a career shooting year, Brooks brings a level of toughness, physical defense and edge that Phoenix lacked last year.
“The toughness, the grittiness, the dogs, that’s what the NBA is,” one source said. “It’s Lu Dort in the Finals, it’s Aaron Nesmith in the Finals. It’s not always talent that wins.”
That sentiment has reverberated throughout the building this offseason. Ishbia and Gregory both highlighted “toughness” and “grit” in their press conferences, and Ryan Dunn recently told the media about how Gregory and the front office “wants dogs” on this roster. Phoenix wanted more defensive-minded players with a hard-nosed, worker’s mentality. They wanted to get younger, longer and more athletic so they could play faster — something Booker’s wanted for years.
And in hiring Jordan Ott, they found a cutting-edge basketball mind who will lean into more cutting, player movement, offensive rebounding, pace and jumbo-sized defensive lineups. Taking a page out of the Cleveland Cavaliers’ book from last season, and watching that high-intensity Finals matchup between the Oklahoma City Thunder and Indiana Pacers, it was clear that Gregory, Ott and the Suns want to ratchet up the defensive intensity on the perimeter while relying on rim protectors to cover for that aggression.
As a result, the Suns emerged from night one of the 2025 NBA Draft with a Mark Williams trade and the selection of Khaman Maluach at No. 10. Maluach was Phoenix’s top target in that range, but “never in a million years” did they think he’d be available that late, as one source put it.
I asked Brian Gregory about timing of trading for Mark Williams and then drafting Khaman Maluach: "We were very poor protecting the rim last year. Now you should be able to have a full game where there's protection of the rim….To get both those guys, we weren't passing that up" pic.twitter.com/U2IcUFho4T
— Gerald Bourguet (@GeraldBourguet) July 8, 2025
So if the goal was to get “dogs,” who have an edge and will continually work to improve, the Suns added several. Dillon Brooks fits that description to a tee, and Phoenix values his alpha mentality and the vocal leadership he can provide. Jalen Green will be playing with a chip on his shoulder after the Houston Rockets traded him away. Ryan Dunn and Oso Ighodaro have turned heads this summer with their progress and dedication to getting better. The work ethics of rookies Khaman Maluach, Rasheer Fleming and Koby Brea haven’t gone unnoticed. Nigel Hayes-Davis will be looking to prove himself as he returns to the NBA.
If the goal was to get more defensive-minded, Brooks will help lead the charge there, while 7-foot rim protectors like Mark Williams and Khaman Maluach — one of the most imposing rim deterrents in all of college basketball last year — patrol the back line. A more confident Dunn, supported by a rookie who averaged 2.9 stocks per game last year like Fleming, should be able to fulfill Ott’s vision on the perimeter. If Maluach establishes himself on both ends, minutes with Oso Ighodaro as a secondary rim protector at the 4 could be intriguing.
If the goal was to get longer and more athletic, Jalen Green is lightning quick with or without the ball. Rasheer Fleming is a freak athlete with a 6-foot-8 frame and an unholy 7-foot-5 wingspan. Dunn and Ighodaro are breathtaking in the open floor and electrifying playmakers on both ends. The sheer upgrade in size and length alone will help Phoenix elevate its bottom-five defense from last year:
Suns wanted to add size this week. They did just that:
Mark Williams: 7'0", 7'6" wingspan
Khaman Maluach: 7'2", 7'7" wingspan
Rasheer Fleming: 6'9", 7'5" wingspan
Koby Brea: 6'7", 6'5" wingspan
Dillon Brooks: 6'6", 6'6" wingspan
Jalen Green: 6'4", 6'7" wingspan
— Gerald Bourguet (@GeraldBourguet) June 27, 2025
And if the goal was to get younger, well, the Suns checked that box off multiple times:
Jalen Green: 23 years old
Mark Williams: 23 years old
Khaman Maluach: 18 years old
Rasheer Fleming: 21 years old
Koby Brea: 22 years old
It wasn’t just about getting younger; remember, the Suns wanted personnel to match their desired playing style, but at no point was the word “rebuild” ever mentioned. That would’ve required trading Booker, and Phoenix wanted to retool around him. They believe they’ve done that, bridging the gap between remaining competitive in the short-term and situating themselves for long-term success.
Even if the rookies take time, adding established 23-year-olds like Green and Williams is a step in the right direction. Both come with their share of warts (efficiency of Green, injuries for Williams), but they’ve also become underrated in some respects. Green started all 82 games for the 2-seed in the West last year, which doesn’t happen by accident. And when Williams is on the floor, he’s a tantalizing two-way player with upside. Maybe one or both fail to pan out, but the Suns have at least brought in some foundational youth, tapping into a mix of talent and potential that didn’t exist in Phoenix to this degree just a few weeks ago.
And that’s before even talking about what the rookies might be able to provide.
Brea, the team’s 41st overall pick, has been a lightning rod in two of the team’s three Summer League games, lighting it up from 3 while showing he’s more than just an elite shooter with an encouraging midrange game. Rasheer Fleming has only played in one game due to knee soreness, but he showed a few flashes of the 3-and-D skill-set Phoenix values. And although Khaman Malauch has shown a few glimpses of why he might be more of a project, his ceiling remains incredibly high.
“He’s 18, so it’s gonna take some time, but that kid’s got a chance to be a monster,” one source said.
Put it all together, and one source said the Suns were almost surprised by how well they were able to find younger pieces that fit the mold of the modern NBA while still leaving plenty of room for future growth.
“Not only are they quality players right now, but their runway to becoming even better is tremendous,” another source said. “And that’s what you have to do in this league is you have to hit on those guys and develop those guys.”
It’s ironic to hear those words describe a franchise that’s been panned for its lack of draft capital. Yet despite Phoenix’s depleted draft cupboard for the next seven years, over the last two drafts, the Suns have been able to emerge with five players they believe will factor into their short-term competitiveness, with plenty of room to become great down the line. It’s unlikely all five of those youngsters will pan out, but player development has been a key part of the Suns’ thought process since Gregory helped reform those programs over the last year or so.
“We are bigger, we’re longer, more athletic,” Brian Gregory said last week. “I think we’ll be able to play faster. I think defensively, we have a chance to become very, very good. Some of it will be time, you know, because there are some younger guys on the roster now. But I think when you look at the three guys we just drafted and you add Collin [Gillespie], Oso, and Ryan into that mix, you throw Jalen in there, you throw Dillon in there, all new guys, Mark Williams in there — how the team looks has changed. How I think we can play will change as well.”
The Suns are trying to build it and build it the right way, relying on young players to come in and make an impact early on, much like the NBA’s other great teams. It’s a critical piece of team-building process, and while Phoenix will never willingly opt for a rebuild through the draft, they do value that piece of the puzzle more than they’ve been given credit for.
Suns approach a potential test of patience
Given how aggressive Mat Ishbia has been since his literal first day on the job, most Suns fans are probably wondering if he’ll have the patience to see this new direction all the way through. Phoenix has been a revolving door from a roster (and coaching) standpoint, and while the Suns deserve credit for being willing to take big swings, the downside is all the lost capital and goodwill when they’ve struck out.
Yet at every turn, Phoenix has found ways to work their way out of a corner, maneuvering into extra draft picks and additional bites at the apple. This summer, Brian Gregory helped pull multiple, smaller rabbits out of the hat. There is no comparing to the biggest, Kevin Durant-sized rabbit from 2023, but the Suns have done their best to close that chapter and salvage what felt like a thoroughly depressing situation just over a month ago.
But even if the Suns’ goal is to make the playoffs and surprise some people with their newly-minted identity, young players do take time to develop, and not all of them are ready to contribute in their first or second year in the league. There’s a chance this return to prominence will come with its fair share of lumps, especially with a first-time coach trying to get all these young, new faces on the same page. Will Ishbia be willing to wait and watch this thing develop if the Suns are a sub-.500 team again next year?
“When I make a mistake or things don’t go well, I change fast,” Ishbia said during exit interviews “We make quick moves, and I’m not afraid to do that. And the mortgage business included. We tried that, that didn’t work, pivot, right? And we will do that. And some people will say, ‘Oh, be more patient. Let it go. Let it go.’ Patience isn’t gonna be my strongest suit, okay? We’re gonna try to compete and win, and we’re gonna get better.
“And you know what? I’m very patient if I think we’re on the right path and plan. So, say it again, I expect us to win more games next year. But let’s just say we lost more games next year, but it was aligned, the vision and the tone that I’m gonna set, and we’re on a path, then we’re gonna go that way.”
That last bit is the most encouraging part, because the Suns are clearly aligned in laying out a vision and executing it. Whether it pays dividends remains to be seen, and there’s plenty of room for doubt. Phoenix’s playoff prospects rely on Booker bouncing back from last year, Book and Green fitting together, a rookie head coach, Williams playing more than 44 games, second-year leaps from Dunn and Ighodaro, and a whole mess of rookies stepping up to fill important bench roles.
But for those wondering what the plan is in Phoenix…it’s been pretty clearly laid out, and every step the Suns have taken this summer has been in that new direction.
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