One surprise former league standout has issued a hot take on the Phoenix Suns’ prospects for 2025-26.
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Even with (aging) All-Star forwards Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal rostered and drawing well north of $100 million in combined salaries, last year’s Suns under one-and-done head coach Mike Budenholzer finished with just a 36-46 record and missed the play-in tournament altogether.
The Suns flipped Kevin Durant to the Houston Rockets as part of a seven-team summer blockbuster trade, while opting to waive Beal’s remaining money.
Major changes in Phoenix
Phoenix brought back the No. 10 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft (which the team used on Duke big man Khaman Maluach), five future second-round selections, and wings Dillon Brooks and Jalen Green.
Almost no one in or around the league expects these new-look Suns — who seem to have loaded up specifically on shooting guards and centers — to make much postseason noise next spring.
The mismatched roster, Phoenix’s incoming draft equity and the Green addition seem to suggest that the Suns are hoping to slip back into the lottery for a crack at bringing in more young talent.
Former three-time All-Defensive Team point guard Patrick Beverley, who spent 2024-25 playing abroad for Maccabi Tel Aviv, thinks the Suns will be able to surprise the skeptics.
Will the Suns make some noise this season? pic.twitter.com/yvskKcZ0DI
— Pat Bev Pod (@PatBevPod) October 5, 2025
“I think the Suns are going to be super competitive,” Beverley said. “I think they can beat some teams, I think they can lose to some teams.
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“I think they can get in a situation at the end of the year (where) ‘If the Suns win the last three out of five, they could make the play-in.’ I think they’re a team that can do that,” Beverley said. “Over a seven-game series, are they the best team I would put my money on? Probably not, but if you were to bet on the Suns on a play-in game, I’m betting on the Suns.”
Ego clashes between Durant and Budenholzer, plus Beal and the rest of the Suns roster, ultimately hindered Phoenix more than they helped. Can Phoenix do the unthinkable in a loaded Western Conference? Time will tell.
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