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Baxter Holmes, ESPN Senior Writer
PHOENIX — The Phoenix Suns started the season with championship aspirations, boosted by the collective offensive power of Devin Booker, Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal. It's the latest incarnation of the NBA superteam, led by a super-talented Big Three.
But the team never stayed healthy, never found a rhythm, and never emerged as the strong threat the Suns had hoped.
On Sunday, the Suns were swept in the first round on their home floor by the Minnesota Timberwolves, concluding their first-round series with a 122-116 victory at Footprint Center, ending a dominant season in disappointing fashion.
“Everyone talks about firepower when it comes to rosters, but when you look around the league, it's the details that matter,” said Booker, who finished with a game-high 49 points. “I don't want to keep saying that, but it's very important. You can't just go out there and think you're going to win talent. The game is more complicated than that.”
According to ESPN Stats & Information, the Suns were minus-51 when Booker, Durant and Beal shared the floor in this series. This is the worst plus/minus of any trio this postseason.
The Suns defeated the Timberwolves in all three regular season games, but lost in a sweep in a best-of-seven series for the first time since the 1989 Western Conference Finals.
“It's disappointing,” Suns manager Frank Vogel said. “There's no other way to put it. There's nothing that feels worse as a professional than getting swept in the NBA playoffs. I've never been to the playoffs. I'm pretty depressed right now. I want to talk to the fans directly. ''And I, like everyone, say I'm disappointed. But this year we lost to a better team.
“And we put this team together with the idea that we have a three- to five-year window and we'll have a chance to build a team that has the firepower to compete for it every year. But this league is loaded.” They have a talented team, and the top 10 teams in the Western Conference are loaded with talent. We have to find a way to be better. ”
Durant, who scored 33 points, said the Suns need to improve in all aspects, especially superstar guard Anthony Edwards, who scored 40 points, including 31 in the second half, to lead them to their first playoff series win since 2004. He praised his contributions to the Timberwolves. .
Edwards dropped a huge dunk on Durant in the second half, and the two players shared a long hug after the game.
“I'm very impressed with Ant,” Durant said. “He's my favorite player. He's grown so much since he's been in the league. Now, at 22 years old, his love for the game is just shining through. That's one of the reasons I like him the most. He just loves basketball. He's grateful to be in this position and loves everything about Ant. And he's going to play hard every night. [I] I was really impressed with him and he'll be someone I follow for the rest of his career. ”
“I hope everyone feels the same hurt. I've got to get better. Kevin's got to get better. Brad's got to get better. Coach's got to get better. We're the leaders of the team. We can't get out of there. We're not ready. ”
Devin Booker
Booker continued to harp on the team's lack of communication, saying throughout the series that this was a season-long problem.
“Everyone will say that the details matter, and it's like something we passed by and didn't think was a big deal, but then came back and bit us in the ass,” Booker said. Ta.
Booker later said, “I hope everyone feels the same hurt. I've got to get better, Kevin's got to get better, Brad's got to get better, Coach's got to get better, too. We have to get better. We are the leaders of the team. We can do it.” Don't leave unprepared. ”
Booker, Durant and Beal played exactly half of the regular season together, and the team posted a 26-15 record in those games, a 52-win pace good for fourth place in the Western Conference.
The three players ultimately shared the floor for 862 minutes during the regular season, which was the sixth-most minutes of any Suns three-man lineup. At that moment, the Suns had an offensive rating of 120.5, a defensive rating of 114.0, and a net +6.6, according to ESPN Stats & Information.
However, the thickness of the sands layer became a problem. Immediately after owner Matt Ishbia, the head of a major mortgage company in Michigan, took over the team in February 2023, he literally mortgaged the immediate future of the Suns with an all-in buyout. Their flexibility is tough.
That same month, the Suns, along with players, traded first-round draft picks in 2023, 2025, 2027, and 2029 (and a 2028 swap) to Brooklyn and Durant.
And a few months later, the Suns traded for Beal for several second-round picks (2024, 2025, 2026, 2027, 2028, 2030) and several trade picks (2024, 2026, 2028, 2030) were shipped to Washington.
These moves leave the Suns with few assets to deal with going forward. The Suns can trade the 22nd overall pick in June's NBA Draft and a 2031 first-round pick on the night of the draft. Phoenix also has two second-round picks available for trade.
And for now, that's it.
Getting Beal's big contract back (he had four years left on his contract for $207.74 million when he was acquired) also means that if the Suns keep his contract, the so-called second half of the luxury tax for at least the next three years. It will go beyond the apron. Core together. That position would lead to punitive consequences and hinder the ability to add to the roster.
Currently, teams built around superstars with little depth will be able to add very minimal contracts.
Meanwhile, the Suns enter this offseason with a $209 million salary, the highest of any NBA team, and face an estimated $116 million in luxury tax penalties.
Beal, who turns 31 in June, has three years and $161 million left on his contract with a no-trade clause. Durant, who turns 36 in September, has two years and $106 million remaining on his contract.
And Booker's planned four-year, $221 million supermax contract extension begins in July.
The three players are owed $150 million next season, which is more than the combined salaries of the 14 teams in 2024-25. The salaries of these players alone are enough to exceed next season's salary cap.
ESPN's Bobby Marks, ESPN Stats & Information Matt Williams and Michael Schwartz contributed to this report.
