An initial plan for the Phoenix Suns this offseason has been revealed.
Heading into the 2023-24 NBA season, the belief was that the Phoenix Suns were going to emerge as a championship contender in the Western Conference. However, that didn’t exactly play out as the Suns emerged as one of the bigger disappointments in the league during the regular season, and then in the NBA Playoffs.
Even though their first-round playoff series loss may not look as bad at the moment, considering how overwhelming the Minnesota Timberwolves have looked against the defending NBA Champions, the Suns still had an incredibly disappointing end to their season. A team with a core of Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, and Bradley Beal should never be losing in the first round of the playoffs, much less be swept out of the playoffs.
Nevertheless, that’s exactly how the season ended for the Suns. Now, as the start of the offseason quickly approaches, the Suns are in a difficult position. Without much flexibility in the way of salary cap space or tradable assets, Phoenix must figure out how to improve the roster before the start of next season.
That could prove to be difficult, if not impossible. But at least to start the offseason, their initial plan has been revealed. According to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst, the initial plan for the Suns is to not break up their big 3 of KD, Beal, and Booker. Instead of making a big move to shake up the roster, Phoenix intends to rely on small tweaks that could lead to internal development and improvement.
That could also include a new head coach as the Suns have yet to decide on whether they will retain Frank Vogel or move on from him.
Is there a path toward the Phoenix Suns being successful next season?
Looking at the landscape of the Western Conference at the moment, it’s not outlandish to think that the Suns could be better next season. Continuity does make a difference and we must remember, Beal missed a good portion of the regular season and KD still has barely been in Phoenix for one calendar year. A full offseason of the big 3 together wouldn’t hurt.
That said, there’s no predicting how the rest of the West is going to operate during the offseason. You’d imagine the Los Angeles Lakers will attempt to improve their roster, as will the Denver Nuggets. And it doesn’t appear as if the Minnesota Timberwolves or Oklahoma City Thunder are going anywhere.
The Suns will have their work cut out for them in the West, but there is a path toward contention. At least initially, Phoenix is going to continue to trust their process. Looking at their alternative path forward, this is likely one that makes the most sense for the moment.
