Photo Credit: Reuters
When the Phoenix Suns traded Kevin Durant and bought out Bradley Beal’s contract this summer, the basketball world collectively wrote them off. The “Big Three” experiment had crashed and burned with a dismal 36-46 record, and with only Devin Booker remaining from last year’s star-studded roster, most prognosticators predicted disaster. ESPN’s preseason projections had them finishing 13th in the Western Conference: essentially dead last.
Fast forward to December, and the Suns at the time of writing are sitting at 13-9, seventh in the West, with one of the league’s most intriguing turnaround stories.
The secret? Phoenix discovered what Houston’s recent success has demonstrated: roster balance trumps redundant talent. Durant and Beal were elite scorers, but their skill sets overlapped considerably with Booker’s. None excelled at the complementary skills (passing, spacing, perimeter defense, rim protection) that championship teams require.
By trading Durant for a package including Jalen Green and Dillon Brooks, plus draft assets, the Suns added athleticism, defensive intensity, and role clarity. Brooks, in particular, has been revelatory, averaging 22 points while bringing infectious defensive toughness that’s helped Phoenix improve from 28th to 13th in defensive rating.
The additions of Mark Williams, Ryan Dunn, Jordan Goodwin, and rookie Khaman Maluach have transformed Phoenix’s identity. These younger, more athletic players have helped the Suns jump from 26th to seventh in offensive rebounding percentage. They’re playing faster, defending harder, and shooting more threes; ranking fourth in the league in three-point makes after finishing eighth last season.
Most importantly, they’ve given Booker the supporting cast he’s always needed rather than other stars who needed the ball in their hands.
Are the Suns the NBA’s most unexpected story? There’s a strong case. Few teams have bounced back from losing two All-Stars while dramatically improving their record and overall play. Phoenix has proven that sometimes addition by subtraction isn’t just a cliché; it’s championship-level roster construction.