3 Moves That Led to Failed Suns Season

The Phoenix Suns entered the 2024-25 season with incredibly high hopes after being swept in the first round of the previous playoff run.

Significant changes were made in an effort to reshape what was seen as a failed season - while some of the changes paid off in varying degrees, others directly resulted in a 36-win season that culminated less than two weeks ago.

Hiring Mike Budenholer

The hire that could've been.

The Suns hired the 2021 NBA champion last May after firing Frank Vogel just days prior - Budenholzer was expected to bring a new culture and offensive philosophy that could rejuvenate the franchise after being swept in the first round of the playoffs.

A 9-2 start to the season seemed to validate that sentiment, but the rest of the season couldn't have gone any worse in response.

The calf injury Kevin Durant suffered on November 9 was the ultimate catalyst for the unraveling, but Budenholzer made many questionable decisions - from benching Ryan Dunn and Bol Bol to keeping Tyus Jones in the starting lineup for over 40 games before deciding to make a change.

While certain offensive principles Budenholzer installed did translate, the season ending the way it did is quite self explanatory as to why the franchise is looking for a fourth head coach in four seasons.

Free Agent Class

The signings that the front office made last summer looked the part - from the theoretical fit next to the top-end talent, to the supposed value that was being brought to the table.

Mason Plumlee wasn't much different from Drew Eubanks from a production standpoint save for a small handful of contests. Jones brought value in some areas and was a major negative in others. Monte Morris was non-existent in rotations for the majority of the season.

The major silver lining was the addition of Collin Gillespie via a two-way contract, but the Villanova product wasn't a fixture in the lineup until it was too late.

While Gillespie could certainly be a key fixture in the rotation in 2025-26 - the free agent class was a dud for the second consecutive season.

Not Benching Jones Sooner

As mentioned earlier, Jones not being removed from the starting lineup sooner became a problem.

The Phoenix defense was a bottom-tier unit as it is - and Jones' small frame made it even simpler for opposing offenses to make the point guard a pigeon.

Jones did a fair job as a distributor while also shooting a career-best 41.4% from three-point range, but his impact on the offensive side of the ball wasn't substantial enough to negate the defensive shortcomings.

While things may not have transpired differently with an earlier lineup change, the right time to change things up was certainly earlier than halfway through the season - that inaction very likely contributed to the mid-season lull.

Now, Phoenix is very likely going to have to face the music for the last two seasons - it could result in the departure of Kevin Durant amongst other wholesale changes.