The Phoenix Suns have missed their championship window, and it’s time to accept it before they fall into a void of mediocrity, and it starts with a Kevin Durant trade.

The NBA trade deadline is approaching fast, and with the Luka Doncic trade, rumors have swirled the NBA world and Kevin Durant has been a part of them. The 36-year-old is having one of his best and most efficient seasons:

26.9 PPG

6.1 RPG

4.2 APG

52.4% FG

39.8% 3PT

82.7% FT

The Suns’ ideal Big 3 has been altered by the lack of productive play from Bradley Beal, who seems unwilling to move his no-trade clause, and lack of depth. Kevin Durant and Devin Booker deserve no blame for the team’s recent shortcomings. Still, it’s time for them to move their two most valuable assets and start the process of building a contender under owner Matt Ishbia.

The Phoenix Suns fell to 26-25 after back-to-back losses to the Portland Trail Blazers on Saturday and Monday. This dropped their road record to 10-15. The now 9th-seeded Suns are one more loss away from falling out of the play-in. There is no light at the end of the tunnel. The only thing worse than keeping Kevin Durant would be acquiring Jimmy Butler from Miami and losing value on what could be potential future first-round picks or young players like Jonathan Kuminga. 

A 26-25 record might not be the end of the world, but when you add the context that they started 8-1 and are 18-24 since, it looks unappealing. 

Bradley Beal has put the Suns’ front office in a straight-jacket and has forced head coach Mike Budenholzer to move him to the bench in last-ditch efforts to put the team in position to contend. Beal is averaging his career-lowest points-per-game since his third season in the NBA with 17.1. 

The franchise has lacked continuity and that includes the roster, but most importantly, the coaching staff. The Suns hired Mike Budenholzer in the off-season, who is their third coach in as many seasons. The successor to Frank Vogel and Monty Williams has had the same issues with the team and the inability to put good stretches together for a long period of time. No organization can succeed without continuity. Here are the most recent NBA championship coaches and what season with the team they have won:

2024 – Joe Mazzula- 2nd season

2023 –  Mike Malone – 8th season

2022 – Steve Kerr – 8th season

2021- Mike Budenholzer – 3rd season

Not only is it coaches, but it’s co-stars. Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray, the Warriors’ Big 3, and Giannis Antetokounpo and Khris Middleton. Those star duos all have continuity and years behind them before they reach the mountaintop. The recipe for success isn’t what the Suns currently have in mind with the constant shuffling of co-stars.

Devin Booker has just become the Phoenix Suns’ all-time leading scorer, but he should be the next to fall after Kevin Durant. Being stuck with Bradley Beal and arguably the worst contract in the NBA for the next two seasons and salvaging the future is only doable by not falling into mediocrity and letting Kevin Durant and Devin Booker rot. 

The best outcome of these two moves? Getting assets for Kevin Durant and then trading Devin Booker to the Houston Rockets for more assets that include your own first-round picks that the Rockets acquired from the Brooklyn Nets. This would allow the franchise to control their own destiny. They can tank freely without worrying about protections and not having their first-round pick. General Manager James Jones will have his first chance to build his team from scratch, but he showed promise because he helped put the puzzle pieces together in their 2021 championship run. His first major move as general manager was drafting Cameron Johnson in the 2019 NBA draft. The pick got criticized for being too early at No. 11 overall for a player like Johnson. He ended up being a key contributor to the success of the organization and also a key part of why Kevin Durant was able to come to Phoenix in the first place.

The NBA’s newest owner Matt Ishbia needs to trust James Jones and his ability to build a contender from scratch. Despite possible immediate pushback from fans when it comes to trading Kevin Durant and franchise star Devin Booker, it is in the best interest of all parties to let this core go and not hold on to success from four seasons ago. The league has passed the Phoenix Suns.

The Suns have one clear lane ahead of them, but it will force them to swallow their pride and give up on what could’ve been a promising team for a decade following their 2021 NBA Finals appearance. They are closer to missing the playoffs than replicating the season out of destiny four years ago. The Suns have missed their window, but they have a chance to open up another one in a few years, and it starts with accepting defeat and recouping assets from Kevin Durant and Devin Booker.

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