For a lot of Suns followers, the 2024 NBA draft coincided with one other massive occasion on Wednesday: the obvious dying of sports activities journalism.
It was a day when Stephen A. Smith — the face of ESPN and a headline performer searching for $25 million per yr — reported that the Suns have been determined to unload Kevin Durant. He didn’t shout. He didn’t scream. He truly REPORTED this bit of stories, providing you with his journalistic vow.
A couple of hours later, Suns proprietor Mat Ishbia stopped simply in need of calling Smith a liar, expressing the love that Phoenix has for KD.
The whiplash on Planet Orange was way more pleasure than anybody anticipated from a low-wattage NBA Draft the place there have been few family names or gamers with established followings. Because of this, many puzzled if the Durant report was a hoax, a staged narrative constructed by ESPN to command your consideration and save the tv scores. Engagement farming at its worst.
I imagine the reality is someplace within the center.
I imagine the Suns are wrestling with a really heavy query. They know Kevin Durant is a Corridor of Fame expertise who offered elite productiveness and availability in 2023-24. They know he’s a transcendent participant with on-court worth that isn’t simply changed. I’m all the time excited to observe him play basketball.
However is he an excellent affect on Devin Booker?
When a star like Durant involves a market like Phoenix, the heaviest questions all the time start as whispers. We heard that Durant was annoyed on Christmas Day. That he was so uninspired by the teaching employees that he successfully shut out Frank Vogel for a big swath of final season. Irrespective of the extent of hyperbole or what the main points regarded and appeared like, it couldn’t have been good for workforce chemistry.
We heard Booker inform reporters he was “chillin’” after a painful playoff loss, the type of tepid response that made our knees buckle. It was a response we by no means anticipated from the Valley’s hottest murderer. And with the management vacuum in Phoenix, the Suns want Booker to grab the reins like by no means earlier than.
Booker is a historical past buff with respect for greatness and custom. Will he ever really feel comfy being the unquestioned workforce chief inside the present dynamic? Can he try this with Durant in his presence, a participant who prides himself on balling and chilling?
Heavy questions, certainly.
Therefore, the trail ahead is obvious. The Suns will attempt to reset with a brand new head coach, new position gamers and a brand new tradition. They are going to attempt to conjure up a greater model of the Massive Three, a partnership constructed on actual belief. If there are not any indicators of elevation by January 2025, the Rockets can be ready as potential commerce companions.
Which implies our very first tremendous workforce in Arizona enters a make-or-break season with a really quick leash. Right here’s hoping Booker and Durant show to be greater than one other good thought gone dangerous.
Attain Bickley at dbickley@arizonasports.com. Hearken to Bickley & Marotta weekdays from 6 a.m. – 10 a.m. on Arizona Sports activities.