The Suns have been one of the biggest disappointments of the 2024-25 NBA season. Before the season, they were projected to win at least 47 games and make a run in the playoffs. As of February 25, the Suns (27-30) were projected to win just 37 games and miss the play-in tournament.
Amid the Suns’ struggles, a lot of blame game has been pointed at Kevin Durant, who, despite averaging his regular numbers, hasn’t done enough to rally his troops. Devin Booker, Durant’s co-star, is shooting his worst FG% (.452) since the 2017-18 campaign and lowest 3P% (.343) since 2020-21.
Arizona sportscaster Dan Bickley blamed Booker’s struggles on Durant on his 98.7 FM podcast, triggering a fiery response from Durant.
In his since-deleted posts, Durant wrote: “Is he serious?? No way this is the narrative they running with in Phoenix. No way I’m hearing this right.”
“When Book plays great, I get no mention. When he has a tough game, it’s somehow because of my presence?? That logic is crazy.”
Is Kevin Durant To Blame?
Bickley had said that, upon talking to sources close to the Suns, he concluded that Durant was not a positive influence on Booker.
“He’s not just not the same guy he was,” Bickley said of Booker on his “Bickley & Marotta” podcast on February 24.
“A lot of people I talked to say the exact same thing, that KD has had a bad effect on Devin Booker. The chill vibe of Kevin Durant has brought down Devin Booker’s temperature and it’s noticeable in the way he talks and conducts himself.”
Earlier in February, Beckley echoed the sentiments of many analysts who urged the Suns to blow up the roster by trading Durant and Booker in the 2025 offseason.
Suns Urged to Blow Up Roster
The Ringer’s Michael Pina explained why the Suns — who own the biggest payroll in NBA history — were left with no choice but to trade Durant.
“The Suns have limited resources to improve around the margins—only one first-round pick, three second-round picks, and three swaps to trade—and how they’ll meaningfully turn things around is a dilemma that should be treated as an existential crisis in-house,” Pina wrote on January 13.
“This leads us to a question that simplifies the crux of this piece: What is the upside of keeping Durant? In what universe would Phoenix be closer to a title next year, or the one after that? The man is 36 years old. It’s theoretically possible, but not likely, for him to remain a top-10 player over the life of his next contract. So, what’s the point of keeping him? If they re-sign him and paddle their way through the Western Conference as an also-ran for the next few seasons, maybe winning a playoff series or two, what will the comedown look like?”
While the Suns can still flip the script on their woeful 2024-25 campaign, the odds of that happening are slim to none. As of February 25, they had the toughest schedule left in the season, with the opponents averaging a record of .559. The Suns would first need to eclipse the 10th-seeded Kings to get a shot at the play-in tournament.
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