Should Suns Begin Rebuild?

The Phoenix Suns probably won't, but ESPN says it's a possibility.

Mar 19, 2025; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker (1) drives against Chicago Bulls guard Tre Jones (30) during the second half at PHX Aena. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images / Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images

PHOENIX -- The Phoenix Suns move into the final stretch of the 2024-25 regular season with some serious doubts around their ability to make a playoff push, both for this season and beyond.

Phoenix, littered with star power and NBA champion coaching, has fallen drastically short of expectations placed both by themselves and the outside world.

Simply put, the Suns were supposed to be near the top of the West - not fighting for its last play-in spot with 12 games remaining.

It feels like everything has gone wrong for Phoenix this season, and that's left some massive question marks as to what figures such as owner Mat Ishbia and general manager James Jones can do moving into the summer.

This Suns roster could look drastically different, and while many don't expect Phoenix to fully rebuild - ESPN's Tim Bontemps pondered the possibility in a recent article ranking candidates to hit the reset button.

"In my colleague Tim MacMahon's story on Phoenix last week, owner Mat Ishbia scoffed at the notion that he would ever rebuild, so whether the Suns should might be a moot point. It's extremely difficult to see how this team is going to dig out of the hole it has dug for itself since Ishbia took over in February 2023," he wrote.

"It is widely believed that Kevin Durant will be elsewhere next season, but the idea that Phoenix will get a massive return for trading the 36-year-old is based more on Durant's name than reality. Bradley Beal has a no-trade clause, negating any minimal value he would have. And with Devin Booker and the Suns both declaring he won't be going anywhere, that doesn't leave many paths to improve a roster that already wasn't good enough to make the playoffs this season."

For more on Ishbia's comments, you can read here.

Bontemps brings a valid point - it sure doesn't feel like the Suns will entertain the thought of tearing things down. With Booker in the mix and still in his prime, maybe that's not the best idea.

However, getting a new competitive roster would be very tricky given Phoenix's luxury tax situation and Beal's no-trade clause.