The Phoenix Suns quite possibly sit in the worst position in the Western Conference right now.
After being one of the most hyped squads of the year when they acquired Bradley Beal through a trade with the Washington Wizards, the same squad sits at home, finished with their season and wondering where to go from here.
Obviously, being swept out of the first round isn't a fate any NBA team wants to have, but with what was supposed to be a squad with curious potential — referring to Devin Booker's confident statement of other teams' inability to guard him, Kevin Durant and Beal — the Suns have reached a fork in the road in which neither side seems appealing. They've been stonewalled by a younger team.
“Roster-wise, everybody talks about the firepower,” Booker explained following the loss. “But you look around the league and it comes down to the details. You can’t just go out there and think you’re going to win (solely because of) talent.”
Booker was right. On their own, he, Beal and Durant present monumental challenges to opposing defenses. They've each scored north of 50 points and established themselves as prolific offensive talents. But together? Quite the opposite was true.
In fact, the Suns' trio posted a minus-51 plus-minus when they shared the floor — a worst for any trio this postseason — and appeared to be completely harmless when it came to the Timberwolves' explosive offense and strong defense.
So, what has to change for Phoenix? Or, what could change?
Let's look at it.
Bradley Beal's Future
Bradley Beal sat in front of a media scrum just a few minutes after his team had officially been eliminated from the NBA Playoffs.
The would-be-viral quote he uttered prior to the matchup surfaced to his head: “I’ve never been swept a day in my life. … I’ll be damned if that happens.” And suddenly, he realized how it looked.
“Well, I'll be damned,” he said with a smile.
Beal had just been eliminated from the postseason, but he seemed to be content; unbothered. While that might be hard to comprehend at first, taking a look at his situation shed light on the situation. Not only was Beal set to return without a second thought next season, but he was set to be paid $50 million to do so.
Yes, the Suns evidently made a mistake in taking on Beal's massive contract over the offseason. It seemed like a solid idea at the time — that was, to bring on another elite scorer to ideally overwhelm opposing teams with an offensive onslaught — but after losing to the Timberwolves, a team that thrived behind its defense, it was no longer an astute decision. In fact, it was the opposite.
The Suns aren't a young team. Durant and Beal are both older than 30, while Booker can't exactly call himself young blood. Phoenix does have some younger players, sure, but its future success isn't an uphill climb the way that the San Antonio Spurs or Oklahoma City Thunder's are. With the roster it has, winning should be attainable — or, to be harsher, needs to be.
That's not the case. The trio of Durant, Beal and Booker doesn't work the way the Suns hoped it would, and now the question stands to be: Which of the three get to stay?
In an ideal world, Phoenix trades away Beal and cuts him loose. It found more success prior to his arrival, so returning to just a Durant-Booker duo with more pieces around it seems to be what would work best. But that's where the Beal curse strikes.
His contract is not only expensive, but it's immoveable.
Beal managed to work in a no-trade clause to his contract. That means that, should the Suns want to move him out of Phoenix, he'd need to approve of the deal. So, if he wants to stay, he's staying.
Finding a suitor for the aging veteran won't be easy either. Beal posted nine points and six turnovers in his final game this season with the Suns after claiming to never have been swept in his career. He didn't show up — plain and simple — so naturally, teams wouldn't be quick to jump on him, even if Beal did green-light a trade.
As the Suns stand, they're old, needing a win but troubled. Something has to change if they want a chance at contending next season, and given the arduous task that is trading Beal, they might just have to work with him.
He's the player they should trade, but can't.
So, now the ball rests in his court to begin to perform at the level he was brought in to be. And as far as Phoenix is concerned, that's the best-case scenario.
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