PHOENIX — The NBA’s highest-paid group is formally amongst its lowest performers this season.
The Phoenix Suns — with a roster that included an All-Star trio of Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal — had been eradicated from postseason rivalry Wednesday evening once they fell 125-112 to the short-handed Oklahoma Metropolis Thunder for his or her eighth straight loss.
In an indication at simply how unhealthy the season has turn out to be, all eight of these losses had been by double figures.
The Dallas Mavericks wrapped up the ultimate spot within the Western Convention play-in match and the Suns will go dwelling after their regular-season finale towards Sacramento on Sunday.
“There’s not one factor or one particular person or one participant or one coach that’s the issue,” Booker stated. “Once you’ve had a season this unhealthy, it’s a bunch of issues. I believe essentially the most irritating half is being that shut a number of years in the past, and now being again to the place we’re.”
Booker was referencing 2021, when the Suns reached the NBA Finals earlier than shedding to the Milwaukee Bucks in six video games. The franchise has endured an agonizing backward slide after including Durant and Beal in a pair of blockbuster trades.
The group by no means reached its perceived potential in two full seasons collectively.
The Suns completed with a 49-33 document final season earlier than getting swept by the Minnesota Timberwolves within the first spherical of the playoffs. This season was even worse — Phoenix is 35-45 and have become much less aggressive because the season progressed.
Durant and Booker have been pretty wholesome and productive this 12 months, however Beal has been harm for large chunks of the schedule and first-year coach Mike Budenholzer might by no means determine a constant taking part in rotation. At 36 years previous, Durant was nonetheless top-of-the-line scorers within the NBA, averaging 26.6 factors per sport and making his fifteenth All-Star group.
Phoenix really began the season with an 8-1 document, however Durant went down with a calf pressure and the tailspin began. Even when he returned, the Suns might by no means regain their early type.
“There is no reply for it, there isn’t any phrases for it,” Booker stated after the Suns misplaced by 38 to the Warriors on Tuesday evening. “Nothing I can say can actually make it higher.”
Durant missed the previous 5 video games with a sprained ankle, which solely exacerbated the freefall.
Wholesale modifications might be coming to the franchise over the subsequent few months. Budenholzer — an Arizona native dropped at the desert with a lot fanfare — may not be round to steer a second.
He did not speculate on his future after Wednesday’s loss.
“It is fairly uncooked proper now, it is fairly recent,” Budenholzer stated. “It has been powerful. There is no doubt about it. We have not been pretty much as good as we have wanted to be and anticipated to be.”
The one participant who appears sure to be on the Suns subsequent 12 months is Booker, who has performed all 10 of his NBA seasons within the desert. He stated establishing a greater group tradition — regardless of who’s round — shall be crucial to bouncing again subsequent season.
“I believe that is one of many steps that we skipped,” Booker stated. “Studying via the wins and the loss, persevering with to get higher day by day, it doesn’t matter what the circumstances are. We had spots the place we did it, nevertheless it needs to be one thing that is turned on always.”
