{"id":77973,"date":"2024-05-18T22:58:58","date_gmt":"2024-05-19T02:58:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/?p=77973"},"modified":"2024-05-19T04:07:59","modified_gmt":"2024-05-19T08:07:59","slug":"suns-does-it-make-sense-keep-big-3-together","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2024\/05\/18\/suns-does-it-make-sense-keep-big-3-together\/","title":{"rendered":"Does It Make Sense for Suns to Keep Big 3 Together?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The Phoenix Suns entered the offseason with multiple questions after being swept by the Minnesota Timberwolves in the First Round of the 2024 NBA Playoffs.<\/p>\n<p>They\u2019ve solved one, <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2024\/05\/11\/suns-western-conference-powerhouse-lands-new-head-coach\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">hiring Mike Budenholzer<\/a> to replace Frank Vogel as head coach. This offseason, they have the opportunity to address their longstanding need for a starting point guard. There\u2019s also the question of whether their Big 3 is actually a viable fit. Their overall talent level notwithstanding, there may be too much overlap between them.<\/p>\n<p>However, asked if there was any scenario in which the Suns would break up the Big 3 of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/d\/duranke01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Kevin Durant<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/b\/bookede01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Devin Booker<\/a>, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/b\/bealbr01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Bradley Beal<\/a>, Suns general manager James Jones told The Burns &amp; Gambo Show that there wasn\u2019t.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo\u2026 That\u2019s great for TV,\u201d Jones says. \u201c\u2026Those guys aren&#8217;t going anywhere. Those guys are going to be a part of the solution. They\u2019re a part of the answer.\u201d<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">&quot;Those guys aren&#39;t going anywhere.&quot;<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Suns?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@Suns<\/a> president of basketball operations James Jones puts to bed any speculation that a member of the &#39;Big 3&#39; would be traded this offseason.<\/p>\n<p>\ud83d\udcfa: <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/9FB7poCRrL\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">https:\/\/t.co\/9FB7poCRrL<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/eN6ohlRo8P\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/eN6ohlRo8P<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; The Burns &amp; Gambo Show (@BurnsAndGambo) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/BurnsAndGambo\/status\/1791594402940666316?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">May 17, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p> <script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe acquired Kevin and Brad to play with Devin for a reason,\u201d Jones continues. \u201cBecause we felt knowing who they are\u2026 that if we put those three competitive guys together with a great team to support a great coach, that we\u2019d be able to compete for championships. That\u2019s still the goal. That\u2019s still the plan\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n<h2>Does It Make Sense for Suns to Keep Big 3 Together?<\/h2>\n<p>Make no mistake; Durant, Booker, and Beal are an elite combination on offense.<\/p>\n<p>In their first season together, the three-man lineup outscored opponents by +6.7 points per 100 possessions. However, when that trio was bullied by the Minnesota Timberwolves \u2014being outscored by -20.0 points per possession during the sweep \u2014that series spoke to their biggest flaw.<\/p>\n<p>Suffocating under the Wolves\u2019 ball pressure, running a rushed give-and-go offense, Phoenix turned the ball over 54 times. 34 of those turnovers belonged to their Big 3. The Suns\u2019 mighty firepower faltering in ways that seemed unfathomable less than a year ago, it\u2019s now apparent that their three best players aren\u2019t a clean fit.<\/p>\n<p>All better as scorers and none particularly capable of running an offense full-time, Phoenix needs someone to set the table.<\/p>\n<h3>The Bradley Beal Conundrum<\/h3>\n<p>The easiest way to fix the Suns\u2019 kinks would be to move one of the players in their Big 3. Unfortunately for Phoenix, the player they\u2019d be most willing to trade is the hardest to move.<\/p>\n<p>Beal, who will turn 31 years old this summer, will be on the third season on a five-year contract next season. That should be all well and good, as the three-time All-Star is one of the better players in the NBA. However, due $160 million over the next three seasons, he\u2019s charging a pretty penny for his services.<\/p>\n<p>When Beal signed that five-year, $251 million contract extension with the Washington Wizards in 2022, he had just averaged 30+ points per game in two of the three previous seasons. To put it another way, with Beal performing at such a high level, there was no reason not to sign him to the max.<\/p>\n<p>Yet, it seemed like the Wizards may have been too hasty in their negotiations. Though still playing at a high level, he averaged 23.2 points per game from 2021-2022 to 2022-23. With Washington going 35-47 in both seasons, it seemed like they hit their ceiling with Beal.<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, Beal was growing frustrated with the lack of winning and talent around him. In June, he requested a trade from the organization that drafted him third overall in 2012.<\/p>\n<h3>Beal to the Heat?<\/h3>\n<p>When Beal requested a trade, the place that he wanted to go was the Miami Heat.<\/p>\n<p>This leads to the second issue that may arise if the Suns want to trade him; he has a pesky no-trade clause. There\u2019s nothing wrong with player empowerment, but it does limit the number of Phoenix\u2019s potential trade partners. That being said, while the Heat could still have interest in a Beal trade, the Suns are unlikely to land the player they want in return.<\/p>\n<p>Phoenix would ideally make a trade for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/r\/roziete01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Terry Rozier<\/a> if they were to trade with Miami. A veteran point guard, his scoring instincts, perimeter defense, and pick-and-roll play make him an ideal fit for the Suns. However, Miami needed a point guard nearly as much as Phoenix a few months ago. While <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/l\/lowryky01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Kyle Lowry<\/a> was able to run the offense, his impact on the scoreboard has severely diminished with age. To that point, while Lowry averaged 8.1 points per game in 2023-24, Rozier averaged 19.8 points per game.<\/p>\n<p>With the possibility that Lowry returns to the Heat as a free agent, Miami may be willing to move Rozier. A starting backcourt featuring Lowry and Beal has solid balance and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/h\/herroty01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Tyler Herro<\/a> can play either wing spot. At worst, the former Sixth Man of the Year would return to the bench.<\/p>\n<h3>Beal to the Hawks?<\/h3>\n<p>The Atlanta Hawks are a dark horse destination for Beal.<\/p>\n<p>Beal\u2019s both a more natural shooter and shooting guard than <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/m\/murrade01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Dejounte Murray<\/a> is, making him the type of player Atlanta has been looking to put beside <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/y\/youngtr01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Trae Young<\/a>. Averaging 24.8 points, 5.0 assists, and 1.1 steals per game since 2016-17, he\u2019s also capable of matching Murray\u2019s production.<\/p>\n<p>That said, with Beal\u2019s hefty salary, the Hawks could be scared away unless they\u2019re trying to clear up a potential log jam at center. To that point, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/c\/capelca01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Clint Capela<\/a> is owed $22.3 million in 2024-25, the final year of his deal.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Phoenix Suns entered the offseason with multiple questions after being swept by the Minnesota Timberwolves in the First Round of the 2024 NBA Playoffs. They\u2019ve solved one, hiring Mike Budenholzer to replace Frank Vogel as head coach. This offseason, they have the opportunity to address their longstanding need for a starting point guard. There\u2019s [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5008,"featured_media":77976,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[28,4,1608,16,62,3,4721],"tags":[311,1262,352,1872,69,4557,4774,427],"class_list":["post-77973","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-suns","category-hawks","category-basketball","category-heat","category-nba","category-news","category-trade-rumors","tag-bradley-beal","tag-dejounte-murray","tag-devin-booker","tag-james-jones","tag-kevin-durant","tag-nba-offseason","tag-rumors","tag-terry-rozier"],"modified_by":"Quenton S Albertie","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/77973","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5008"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=77973"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/77973\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/77976"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=77973"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=77973"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=77973"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}