Phoenix Suns 2024-25 Season Preview: Mike Budenholzer Joins Kevin Durant, Devin Booker

[Editor’s note: The following article is from Athlon Sports’ 2024-25 NBA season preview magazine. Order your copy today .]

After two consecutive early playoff exits and two coach firings, the Phoenix Suns expect immediate results.

Despite overlapping injuries last season among their three stars, the Suns expect Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal to be healthy for the 2024-25 campaign.

Despite Frank Vogel’s championship pedigree and defensive credentials making little difference in his only year as Phoenix’s head coach, the Suns expect new coach Mike Budenholzer’s championship résumé and offensive expertise to keep the team’s title hopes alive.

Despite having a top-heavy roster that lacks defensive punch, the Suns believe they upgraded enough on the margins to improve their point guard depth.

Is that enough for the Suns to compete for an NBA title four years after challenging Budenholzer’s Milwaukee Bucks in the Finals? The Suns think so, but they are banking on a few investments to yield hefty returns.

They believe Durant, Booker and Beal will have more time together to establish chemistry. They project that Budenholzer can manage both his stars and role players with similar success to what he accomplished in Milwaukee — an NBA title and five consecutive playoff appearances. And they sense they will have enough depth to complement their Big Three with point guard help (Tyus Jones, Monte Morris), wing support (Royce O’Neale) and some frontcourt pieces (Jusuf Nurkić, Mason Plumlee).

FRONTCOURT

Durant enters his 17th NBA season showing more signs of sustained excellence than red flags about durability. Durant averaged 27.1 points while shooting 52.3 percent from the field and 41.3 percent from 3-point range along with 6.6 rebounds and 5.0 assists per game last season, numbers that are similar to his career averages.

The Suns should not worry about whether that can continue. Even though Durant lacks the same explosiveness he boasted before tearing his right Achilles tendon in the 2019 NBA Finals, he has compensated well enough with his superior length, footwork and shooting stroke to remain a scoring threat at the rim, in the post and from deep.

The only problem? We’ve learned in the past two seasons that Durant’s on-court excellence does not guarantee team success. That’s mostly because the Suns don’t have enough defensive depth around Durant.

Nurkić has helped Durant and the Suns tremendously with his screen-setting and passing. He’s content scoring just off putbacks or other easy baskets when teammates face double-teams. But Nurkić remains a defensive liability.

It’s easy to say Durant can help offset that. He has great length and can defend at an elite level when he tries. At this stage of Durant’s career, however, the Suns need to preserve him for his scoring efficiency.

That’s why it was important that the Suns parted ways with a subpar backup center (Drew Eubanks) in favor of a more physical big who excels as both a team and individual defender (Plumlee). Also, O’Neale has become a decent wing option on both ends of the floor. This does not mean the Suns will become an elite defensive team. They may not be as disastrous, though.

BACKCOURT

As he’s shown with his Team USA stints, Booker can be more than just an aggressive scorer. He has improved as a playmaker and has gladly deferred to his star teammates when they’re open. He also can defend at a high level, too. Booker needs help, though.

That starts with Beal, who played in only 53 games last season amid various injuries. When available, Beal has co-existed well with other ball-dominant guards (such as John Wall and Russell Westbrook in Washington). It would be foolish, though, to bank on Beal becoming consistently healthy. He hasn’t played more than 60 regular-season games in a single season in the past five years. That’s why it’s critical that the Suns landed Jones on a veteran’s minimum contract. Jones has cemented himself as a reliable point guard because of his assist-to-turnover ratio (his 7.35 ratio in Washington last season is the best single-season mark in NBA history).

The Suns didn’t just acquire a quality backup for reinforcements. Jones should actually start over Beal because he will be more consistently available, and he possesses better traditional point guard skills. That move will establish continuity regardless of whether Beal stays healthy. Meanwhile, Beal can give the Suns’ second unit additional scoring punch without worrying about taking away touches from Durant and Booker.

Durant, Booker and Beal experienced tactical adjustments with how they should manage their playmaking duties. That won’t be an issue with Jones, who will primarily organize the offense to ensure easy baskets for Durant and Booker. It’s an added plus that the Suns also have Morris, a backup point guard option who can fill in the gaps should Beal miss time.

The Suns will miss the secondary scoring of Eric Gordon, who left for Philadelphia on a veteran’s minimum deal. But Grayson Allen has blossomed as both an aggressive scorer and a more disciplined defender.

FINAL ANALYSIS

On paper, the Suns should be improved enough to avoid another first-round exit.

Their Big Three will have more on-court time together. Budenholzer will improve the team’s offense. The Suns have a relatively better supporting cast that can improve their playmaking and defense.

Still, the foundation hasn’t become completely sturdy yet. Beal has an extensive injury history, and the Suns can’t assume that will change. Their defensive potential seems limited. Although Phoenix has a respectable supporting cast, it doesn’t match the depth that Oklahoma City, Minnesota and Dallas possess. It seems unlikely that Phoenix can receive equal value in a potential Beal trade. But the Suns are likely better off dealing him before the trade deadline, both to trim salary and to enhance their depth.

The Suns’ fortunes mostly rest on whether Durant and Booker remain durable and efficient.

SCOUTING THE SUNS

Anonymous takes from league insiders:

“Picking up Tyus Jones [Washington, free agency] may be a move that puts them over the top. ... All last season, we saw that this team was screaming for a point guard and true distributor. Jones is sort of a poor man’s Mike Conley in that sense. He will set people up and never complain. ... Not sure what Frank Vogel did wrong to get fired after just one season. But Mike Budenholzer was an outstanding hire. He could make this work. ... It’s now or never for Kevin Durant. He’s running out of chances to show he can lead a team back to the Finals when he’s not playing next to two or three other surefire Hall of Famers.”

OFFSEASON MOVES

Draft picks:

1. Ryan Dunn (SF, 6-8, 216, Virginia)

2. Oso Ighodaro. (C, 6-11, 235, Marquette)

The Suns entered the draft with only the No. 22 overall pick, but they made draft-day trades to secure a strong wing defender (Dunn) in the first round and a shooting big (Ighodaro) in the second.

Other newcomers:

Despite having minimal cap space, Phoenix addressed its backcourt issues by landing Tyus Jones and Monte Morris on veteran minimum deals. Phoenix also upgraded at backup center (Mason Plumlee over Drew Eubanks).

BEYOND THE ARC

Up in the air: Majority owner Mat Ishbia has said that neither the Suns nor Kevin Durant want to break up. That does not guarantee that Durant will sign another extension, though. He remains under contract through the 2025-26 season, but Durant has been eligible since July 12 to sign a one-year, $59.7 million deal to stay through 2026-27. Durant has until Oct. 21 to sign that deal.

Steep climb: Durant needs 2,496 points to eclipse Wilt Chamberlain for seventh on the NBA’s all-time scoring list. Durant has topped the 2K mark in seven seasons, including in 2023-24. But he has scored more than 2,500 points in a single season only once in his career (2,593 in 2013-14 with Oklahoma City).

Tax season: The Suns are the first NBA team to spend at least $400 million in combined payroll ($223 million) and luxury taxes ($198 million). How much patience will Ishbia have before expecting a return on investment?

Childhood dream: After spending his childhood in Holbrook, Arizona, as a Suns fan, new head coach Mike Budenholzer appeared emotional over his new gig. “I would coach this team if it was on the moon,” Budenholzer said at his introductory press conference. “I would coach this team if it was in Alaska, if these players were in Denmark and these owners and front office. I would go anywhere to coach this team.”

Related: Athlon Sports 2024-25 NBA Season Preview Magazine Now Available