Kevin Durant's first season with the Suns has come to an end.
While the Suns were able to make quick work of the Clippers in the first round of the 2023 NBA Playoffs, they were no match for Nikola Jokic's Nuggets, who defeated them in six games in the second round.
The good news for the Suns? Durant and Devin Booker quickly proved to be a dynamic one-two punch and still have a number of years remaining on their contracts. The bad news? The front office has limited resources when it comes to building a championship roster around the two superstars.
It should make for an interesting few months ahead.
Key storyline: Can Suns build championship roster around Devin Booker and Kevin Durant?
It wouldn't be a shock if the Suns look into trading Chris Paul and/or Deandre Ayton in the offseason in an attempt to upgrade the roster.
After the Suns acquired Durant at the trade deadline, Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports reported that they had "already contacted opposing teams in search of point guard reinforcements" and were "searching for premium reserve ballhandling options who could even perhaps replace Paul in the future."
Fred VanVleet, Terry Rozier and Immanuel Quickley were mentioned by NBA insider Marc Stein as point guards the Suns had on their radar around the trade deadline as potential Paul replacements. The Suns also offered Paul as part of a package for Kyrie Irving when he requested a trade from the Nets, per The Athletic's Shams Charania.
Paul is one of the greatest point guards of all time and has earned two of his 12 All-Star selections as a member of the Suns, but he was limited to 59 games in the 2022-23 season and averaged a career-low 13.9 points per game on 44.0 percent shooting from the field. His numbers took even more of a hit in the seven games he played in the 2023 NBA Playoffs before he was sidelined with a groin injury.
Fischer added in his report that Ayton's long-term future in Phoenix "remains curious" after how his restricted free agency played out. The Suns matched a four-year, $133 million offer sheet the center signed with the Pacers after the former No. 1 overall didn't get the extension he was looking for.
Because the Suns matched Ayton's offer sheet, he couldn't be traded until Jan. 15 of the 2022-23 season. Ayton also had the power to veto any trade and couldn't be traded to the Pacers in the first year of his contract. Those restrictions are now gone.
A 24-year-old center who impacts the game on both ends, trading Ayton might be Phoenix's best hope of getting the types of players it needs to reshape the roster around Durant and Booker if it decides to go in another direction.
Suns upcoming free agents
The Suns are at risk of losing a number of role players in the offseason, including Josh Okogie and Torrey Craig, both of whom are unrestricted free agents.
Both of Deandre Ayton's backups at center, Bismack Biyombo and Jock Landale, will also be free agents.
| Unrestricted | Restricted | Player option | Team option |
| Torrey Craig | Darius Bazley | Ishmail Wainright | |
| Bismack Biyombo | Jock Landale | ||
| T.J. Warren | Saben Lee | ||
| Damion Lee | |||
| Josh Okogie | |||
| Terrence Ross |
With Durant, Booker, Ayton and Paul each making over $30 million next season, the Suns will be limited with how much money they can spend in free agency. They will likely have to fill out their roster with mostly minimum contracts.
Suns future salaries, roster
Durant, Booker and Ayton are under contract through at least the 2025-26 season. Paul has two more years remaining on his deal, though his salary in 2023-24 and 2024-25 is not fully guaranteed.
| Player | 2023-24 | 2024-25 | 2025-26 | 2026-27 | 2027-28 | 2028-29 |
| Kevin Durant | $47,654,833 | $51,195,821 | $54,714,808 | UFA | ||
| Devin Booker | $36,016,200 | $50,050,000 | $54,054,000 | $58,058,000 | $62,062,000 | UFA |
| Deandre Ayton | $32,459,438 | $34,005,126 | $35,550,814 | UFA | ||
| Chris Paul | $30,800,000 | $30,000,000 | UFA | |||
| Landry Shamet | $10,250,000 | $11,000,000 | $11,750,000 (TO) | UFA | ||
| Cameron Payne | $6,500,000 | UFA | ||||
| Ishmail Wainright | $1,927,896 | RFA |
PO = Player option
TO = Team option
NG = Non-guaranteed
UFA = Unrestricted free agent
RFA = Restricted free agent
Suns 2023 NBA Draft picks
Phoenix's first-round pick in the 2023 NBA Draft is one of four unprotected picks it traded to Brooklyn in the Durant deal. That pick is No. 21.
In his most recent mock draft, TSN's Kyle Irving had the Nets selecting Bryce Sensabaugh with the Suns' pick.
"Sensabaugh is one of the best shot creators in this draft class," Irving wrote. "He is a three-level scoring threat who is capable of knocking down everything from pull-ups off the dribble, to catch-and-shoot 3s off of screens, to fadeaways out of the post. As the Nets look to revamp their roster and fill the scoring voids left behind by Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, a player like Sensabaugh would bring an offensive punch off the bench."
The Suns still have their second-round pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, which is No. 52.
