The Phoenix Suns' season is now in the rearview mirror - and now is a better time than ever to assess the moves that have been made since last off-season.
Suns governor Mat Ishbia and general manager James Jones both gave glowing reviews of the roster as currently constructed - albeit admitting that roster tweaks will need to be made.
The Suns made some massive roster moves over the last 12 months - how have they panned out?
This move is difficult to grade on many fronts.
The context on the side of giving a great grade is that Beal was simply the best player that Phoenix could have acquired last offseason given the assets which were included in the deal.
Beal also took on the role of being a vocal leader and sacrificed a ton to be a fixture in the lineup this season - while still remaining productive.
On the downside, he has three years remaining and a no-trade clause.
The deal will significantly handicap the flexibility the Suns possess in the coming years, but hindsight is 20/20 - and this was ultimately a move that made sense process-wise.
This was more of an addition-by-subtraction move than anything else - it was clear that the relationship with former C Deandre Ayton was past the point of being able to salvage.
Nurkic and Allen were more than nice consolation prizes in the forced Ayton departure.
Allen was initially seen as a throw-in when the transaction occurred - but enjoyed a reniassance year in 2023-24 and now looks to be a major part of the core moving forward.
Nurkic, flaws and all, is making a fair salary for his level of production and fit in as a do-it-all player within the system. He did much better on the defensive side of the ball than was anticipated coming into the season.
All in all, the Suns were able to find a way to maximize Ayton's value in a time where it appeared to be at an all-time low.
O'Neale had a rough playoff run - there's no doubt about it.
Added context quells the disappointing run, however.
The Suns shipped out second-round picks and minimum contracts that failed to work out to acquire a switchable defender and quality three-point shooter - while also acquiring O'Neale's bird rights.
O'Neale appears to be part of the core moving forward - and the cost associated with his acquisition was next to nothing with context added in.
The moves the Suns made this coming offseason should be made as these were - attempting to maximize what they can do with what they currently have.
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