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It's time that the Suns pivoted to a complete rebuild
The Phoenix Suns are 11th in the Western Conference. An offseason coaching change, which saw Frank Vogel lose his job and Mike Budenholzer step into the role, has failed to pay dividends.
Even the addition of Tyus Jones, who was supposed to plug the biggest hole on the roster, has not generated any additional success.
Instead, the Suns remain an expensively constructed team of individuals. Kevin Durant, Bradley Beal and Devin Booker are all elite talents. However, the experiment of pairing the trio together has failed. Right now, there doesn't appear to be a clear -cut answer on how to get the best out of this Suns team.
During a recent appearance on FanDuel TV's 'Run It Back,' DeMarcus Cousins took aim at Phoenix's lack of on-court chemistry, questioning whether the Suns should look to enter a rebuild.
"I thinking about it from a business standpoint and ownership standpoint," Cousins said. "If we go into a rebuild, let's go into a full rebuild ... The Suns would get plenty of assets back for Devin Booker. Obviously Kevin Durant would be on the move, they can get assets for him as well. The hardest guy to trade would be Bradley Beal."
"The Suns would get plenty of assets back for Devin Booker. Obviously Kevin Durant would be on the move, they can get assets for him as well. The hardest guy to trade would be Bradley Beal."@BoogieCousins suggest a full-blown rebuild in Phoenix pic.twitter.com/SCltE9qukN
— Run It Back (@RunItBackFDTV) February 25, 2025
Phoenix is two games behind the Sacramento Kings, who hold the final play-in tournament spot as the 10th seed. If the Suns can crash the play-in and navigate themselves into the playoffs, the front office could be tricked into another year with the current core.
However, any success this roster has between now and the summer would be fool's gold. A 'Big Three' rarely works in the NBA nowadays, so the Suns need to recoup some assets and begin pivoting toward a more sustainable model that will prepare them for the future. Whether that future includes Booker will remain a question for the front office.
Owner Mat Ishbia came into the league with grand ideas, and he backed them up with some big moves. Unfortunately, he's learned a tough lesson that NBA success can rarely be bought.
Durant deserves another run at a title before his career ends. He's unlikely to sit around and continue losing when the clock is running out, though.
Phoenix has enough talent to command significant returns on the trade market. This summer would be the ideal time to start making those moves, otherwise, contracts begin to run down, and trade values start to plummet.
Suns fans might not like it, but things are going to get worse before they get better.
More must-reads:
- Suns are beyond saving after blowout loss to Raptors
- Suns hope Bradley Beal's return to lineup provides boost versus Grizzlies
- The '30-point game leaders of the NBA Three-Point Era' quiz
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Is NBA dragging its feet on expansion to spur arena deals?
NBA commissioner Adam Silver has voiced many reasons to delay expansion for the past few years. But the unspoken reason may be a simple one: leverage for new arenas. Two years ago, Silver told TNT that expansion had to wait until the league secured its new TV rights deal, which was finalized last July. But this summer, Silver said that expansion can't happen until the league resolves its issues with regional sports networks and local cable broadcasts. But one big reason that the NBA wants to wait are a number of unresolved arena situations. The New Orleans Pelicans' home arena, the Smoothie King Center, opened in 1999 and the team moved before the 2002-03 season. It's had minimal renovations since then, and the team's lease on the building only runs through 2029. In Minnesota, the Timberwolves play in the Target Center, an arena that opened in 1990, making it the NBA's second-oldest arena behind Madison Square Garden. It's had extensive renovations in 2004 and 2017, and the team's lease runs through 2035. New owners Marc Lore and Alex Rodriguez have called building a new arena a "necessity" while the Minnesota Wild are pushing for extensive upgrades to their own arena. The Portland Trail Blazers' Moda Center opened in 1995, and Silver told reporters in July that Portland "needs a new arena." Their situation is unique in that the city owns the Moda Center, and the team has a new owner, Tom Condon. While Seattle and Las Vegas have long been rumored as likely expansion cities, the NBA may think they're more valuable now as relocation threats, specifically for the Pelicans, who have ranked 24th, 27th, 25th and 24th in attendance the last four seasons. They also play in the NBA's second-smallest TV market, behind the Memphis Grizzlies. Not only could the Pelicans move, but owners could pocket a relocation fee. There's nothing to stop the NBA from expanding after the arena uncertainty is resolved and a team moves to Seattle or Vegas, perhaps choosing another location like Vancouver or Mexico City — then sharing massive expansion fees. The NBA is loaded with talent and ripe for expansion. But don't expect it to happen until the NBA tries to extort its existing cities for arena money.
Commanders flaw exposed in blowout preseason loss to Ravens
The Washington Commanders have a potentially significant problem on special teams. During Saturday's 30-3 preseason Week 3 loss to the Baltimore Ravens, kicker Matt Gay missed a 53-yard field goal wide left at the end of Washington's first offensive possession. Gay finished the preseason 3-of-5 on field goal attempts. He also missed a 49-yarder wide left in preseason Week 1 against the New England Patriots. Gay's struggles continue the chaotic journey for the Commanders at kicker. Last season's Week 1 starter, Cade York, went 0-of-2 in the opener and was promptly released. His replacement, Austin Seibert, was in the midst of a fantastic season through Week 9, going 25-of-27 on field goals and 22-of-22 on extra points before missing two weeks with a hip injury. He was later placed on injured reserve after missing three kicks in a loss to the Dallas Cowboys, including a would-be tying extra point following a wild 86-yard touchdown with under a minute remaining. Zane Gonzalez and Greg Joseph combined to go 7-of-10 on field goals the rest of the season, including each missing a 50-yard attempt. Overall, Commanders kickers struggled from long distance, with the four combining to go 2-of-8 on attempts of 50 yards or more. Only the Philadelphia Eagles had a worse percentage (14.3%) on attempts of at least 50 yards, per Pro Football Reference data. Washington signed Gay to a one-year, $4.25M fully guaranteed contract in late April following the 2025 NFL Draft. Per CBS Sports, it's the largest guaranteed contract for a kicker on a one-year deal in NFL history. Last season while with the Indianapolis Colts, Gay was 3-of-9 on 50-yard field goals. The Commanders have the talent on offense to be one of the league's top scoring units, so they might not need to convert many tries from over 50 yards. Still, having a kicker who can reliably hit from that distance is an undeniable asset, particularly late in close games or on possessions that stall after crossing midfield. Washington largely has a roster capable of contending for a Super Bowl. But following its final tune-up before the regular season, kicking is a notable flaw.
Green Bay Packers: Luke Musgrave’s Wife’s Stunned Reaction to Jordan Love’s Wife’s Personal Post
The Green Bay Packers are about to kick off their 2025 NFL regular season, so it feels like a good time for some of the players to look back at some of the key moments and experiences they’ve had in the offseason. For quarterback Jordan Love and tight end Luke Musgrave, the 2025 NFL offseason will always be one that they’ll cherish — and not just because of anything that’s football-related. Love and Musgrave both got married to their respective longtime girlfriends in the offseason. The signal-caller tied the knot with Ronika Stone in June, while Musgrave and Madi Weisner exchanged vows in July. Ronika Stone’s wedding lookback gets Green Bay tight end’s wife’s reactions Mrs. Love recently shared a post on Instagram that shows a series of snapshots from her wedding with the Packers’ signal caller. “Every detail was SPECTACULAR ,” Ronika wrote as a caption for the post. She clearly is still awed by how her wedding looked that day, with several beautiful flower arrangements adorning the special day. Ronika’s post drew plenty of comments, including one from Mrs. Musgrave, who wrote “UNREAL.” It’s great to see Packers players’ wives showing support for each other just as Love and Musgrave do on the field. For Musgrave, he is looking to have a big rebound in 2025 after only appearing in seven games and coming up with 45 receiving yards with zero touchdowns and only a couple of first downs on seven receptions and 10 targets. The Packers, who will play the Seattle Seahawks at home this Saturday for both teams’ 2025 NFL preseason finale, will face the Detroit Lions at Lambeau Field in Week 1 of the 2025 regular season.
Green Bay Packers: Matt LaFleur Takes Notice of Tucker Kraft’s Transformation After TE’s Award
There are high hopes for Green Bay Packer tight end Tucker Kraft to take another leap in the 2025 NFL season. After improving on his 2023 rookie numbers during the 2024 NFL season, Kraft appears to have the potential to be the first tight end ever in the history of the franchise to amass at least 1,000 yards. It remains to be seen whether he could live up those expectations, but off the field, the former South Dakota State Jackrabbis star tight has recently turned heads when he was honored with the 2025 community service award during Green Bay’s annual Green Bay Chamber of Commerce “Welcome Back Packers Luncheon” on Friday, according to Mike Spofford of the team’s official website. Green Bay Packers TE Tucker Kraft’s charity gets appreciated Kraft earned the award for his charitable gestures in Wisconsin and back home in South Dakota. The 24-year-old tight end has been a supporter of the Cheyenne River Youth Project, a local nonprofit, which has helped give over a thousand toys to kids. After accepting the award, Kraft offered a short but meaningful speech. “Where you’re from can never set a limit on where you want to go,” Kraft said. Meanwhile, Packers head coach Matt LaFleur shared a special message about his appreciation for Kraft. “It’s an honor to work with a guy like that each and every day,” LaFleur said. “To watch the maturity and growth, not only as a person but as a player … he does a great job representing what we want to be about with his actions on the field as well as off the field. “Tuck, we can’t have enough guys like you on our football team.”
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