The Phoenix Suns had a tumultuous 2024-25 NBA season, which ended with the team missing the playoffs. The Suns finished with a 36-46 record as the 11th-placed team in the tough Western Conference. One significant storyline for the organization happened at the trade deadline when they tried to make a deal to ship Kevin Durant to the Golden State Warriors.
Phoenix hoped to acquire forward Jimmy Butler from the Miami Heat in the middle of the season. Butler had grown frustrated with the Heat and wanted to be traded. One of his preferred teams was the Suns. However, the lack of assets made it difficult for the Arizona team to make certain moves. Additionally, the player the team wanted to move, Bradley Beal, didn’t want to waive his no-trade clause.
This led Phoenix to make a serious consideration in trading Durant. The original proposal would’ve been a three-team trade with the Heat and the Warriors, sending KD back to Golden State. However, the deal didn’t push through as the two-time champion wasn’t interested in a reunion with his former team.
The attempt to trade Durant made the star forward feel blindsided by the front office.
On Tuesday, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst revealed the Suns privately “admit they made a mistake.” Also, the franchise plans to have a different approach with Durant heading into the offseason. Windhorst reported they’d bring in Rich Kleiman, the 15-time All-Star’s agent, regarding his future with the franchise.
This came after the Suns missed the postseason for the first time since 2020. Durant also missed the playoffs in 2020 as he was recovering from an Achilles injury.
The Phoenix Suns are expected to engage in trade conversations regarding Durant
With how embarrassing the most recent season has been for the Phoenix Suns, there is belief that changes would be made. According to ESPN’s Shams Charania, the Suns are considering to trade Durant in the summer. Beal’s future, on the other hand, will also be discussed by the organization in the offseason.
“Phoenix is expected to engage in trade conversations involving Durant and will have discussions on the future of Beal, according to sources,” Charania reported.
On Tuesday, Charania explained that the organization will remain committed to All-Star guard Devin Booker as their cornerstone.
“From a grand perspective, it’s all about Devin Booker and where does he stand in all this,” Charania said. “From my understanding, he remains a foundation of everything in Phoenix. Everything else, though, has been up for discussion for the Suns. Except for Devin Booker.”
Reporting for NBA Today on the futures of Devin Booker, Kevin Durant and the Suns after Mike Budenholzer became the third coach fired in three years: pic.twitter.com/m4FfW3K7wI
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) April 14, 2025
However, there have been no discussions about who the next head coach for Phoenix will be after they fired Mike Budenholzer.
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Reign also writes NBA and WNBA news updates on Sportskeeda. He started as a feature writer for AirAlamo, an NBA website that covers the San Antonio Spurs. Some of his work can also be seen on Valley of the Suns, a Phoenix Suns-centric website, where he served as a contributing writer.
