Phoenix Suns bleak reality laid bare after first round NBA playoff sweep

The Phoenix Suns entered the NBA season as one of the favourites to win it all, now they’re left staring down the barrel of an ugly summer.

A first round exit from the NBA playoffs can be demoralising, being swept out of the first round is a whole other scenario.

While the Phoenix Suns are dealing with that, the signs looking ahead are even worse for the Western Conference team.

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After being completely swept off the court by the Minnesota Timberwolves, the reality for the Suns is as bleak as it could be.

Anthony Edwards put the final nail in the Suns coffin on Monday (AEST) when he threw down a monster dunk over Kevin Durant as the Wolves captured the 122-116 win and a 4-0 series sweep.

Bradley Beal became the final piece of the Suns big three after joining the team in June, 2023, with the trade lifting hopes the trio could guide Phoenix to its first NBA title.

Those hopes went up in flames as the Wolves marched into the second round to set up a mouth-watering matchup with either the reigning champion Denver Nuggets or Los Angeles Lakers.

The Suns will now enter an intriguing summer with their salary cap bursting at the seams covering the salaries of their big three.

Durant, Beal and Booker will cost the Suns an astronomical US$151 million ($229m) alone for the 2024/25 season.

Beal had a nightmare outing during game four. Christian Petersen/Getty Images/AFP

Beal has been thrust into the spotlight after producing a horror outing in game four, tallying just nine points, one rebound and two assists.

He fouled out of the contest in the fourth quarter and was swept for the first time in his career, just days after saying: “I’ve never been swept a day in my life, so I’ll be damned if that happens.”

He’s owed a whopping US$161 million over the course of the next three seasons and he also holds a no-trade clause.

But that’s just the start of the ugliness for the Suns with their future painting an even bleaker picture for fans.

The Suns are currently holding onto a first-round pick in the upcoming 2024 draft, but beyond that their draft holdings can only be described as dire.

They currently don’t hold a second-round pick at all between 2024 and 2030 while they don’t have a first-round pick from 2025 all the way through to 2030.

It means the Suns front office is set for a summer of staring deep into the mirror to figure out exactly how they’re going to put a roster together to bounce back next season.

While they’re likely to run it back with their starting five, a glaring issue throughout the series for the Suns wasn’t just their lack of depth, but how poorly their main pieces played while on the floor together.

The future doesn’t look great for Durant and the Suns. Christian Petersen/Getty Images/AFP.

From title contenders to being swept in the first round. Christian Petersen/Getty Images/AFP.

Across the four games in the series, Durant, Beal and Booker shared the court for a total of 125 minutes. In that time the Suns were outscored by 52 points.

In the remaining 67 minutes of game time, the Suns were only outscored by eight points.

Despite their offence containing three supremely gifted scorers, the Suns were never able to fire on all cylinders with Durant reportedly not happy with his role in the team.

The Athletic’s Shams Charania wrote that “Durant never felt comfortable with his role in Phoenix’s offence alongside Booker and Beal”.

Coach Frank Vogel is expected to be let go from his role in what could well be the first of many moves made by new owner Mat Ishbia.

NBA Playoff First Round

West

OKC Thunder lead New Orleans Pelicans 3-0

LA Clippers tied with Dallas Mavericks 2-2

Denver Nuggets lead LA Lakers 3-1

Wolves defeated Suns 4-0

East

Boston Celtics lead Miami Heat 2-1

Orlando Magic tied with Cleveland Cavaliers 2-2

Indiana Pacers lead Milwaukee Bucks 3-1

NY Knicks lead Philadelphia 76ers 3-1

Originally published as Phoenix Suns bleak reality laid bare after first round NBA playoff sweep