Mike Budenholzer’s firing is just the start of the sandstorm about to hit Phoenix this offseason — and solely certainly one of Devin Booker and Kevin Durant is anticipated to outlive.
“From a grand perspective, it’s about Devin Booker and the place [he stands] in all this,” ESPN’s Shams Charania reported on Monday. “From my understanding, he stays a basis of all the pieces they’re doing in Phoenix, all the pieces else, although, has been up for dialogue with the Suns apart from Devin Booker.”
The “all the pieces else” that Charania spoke of on ESPN’s “NBA In the present day?”
Nicely, that half pertains to Durant.
He expects a number of main roster adjustments in Phoenix which can be going to begin with Kevin Durant.
“I’m informed the Suns and Durant, in addition to his enterprise accomplice Wealthy Kleiman, can be working collectively on his subsequent commerce dwelling,” Charania reported.
Phoenix’s different max-contract participant, corresponding to 31-year-old Bradley Beal, was not talked about. He brings a complete different dilemma together with his no-trade clause and subpar play. Beal averaged 17 factors, 3.7 assists and three.3 rebounds.
Commerce rumors surrounding Durant swirled all through your entire season because the Suns struggled earlier than ending 36-46 and lacking the play-in match.
“For the group with the best payroll within the NBA, it’s clear that the possession there, Mat Ishbia, he’s put all his sources, all his cash into this group,” Charania stated. “However now, transferring ahead, they’ve main choices to make.”
If Durant have been to be traded, it might be the fifth completely different group of the 36-year-old’s profession.
He spent 9 seasons with the Thunder, together with his rookie season when the franchise was nonetheless the Seattle Supersonics, three seasons with the Warriors and about two-and-a-half seasons every with the Nets and the Suns.
The place may he be headed this time?
“A variety of that may [be determined] by the playoffs and which group appears like they’re a Kevin Durant away from successful a championship,” Charania stated.
As for Booker, he’s primed to see one more new head coach come by way of Phoenix, assuming he stays put.
Within the 28-year-old’s 10 NBA seasons, he’s had a whopping seven completely different head coaches. Solely certainly one of them coached Booker for greater than only one season. Monty Williams is the lone exception, as he was with the franchise from 2019-2023 and helped take Phoenix to the NBA Finals.
