The Phoenix Suns enter a new era after trading Kevin Durant to the Houston Rockets, ending a partnership that never reached its championship potential. The team’s roster now centers around Devin Booker and Bradley Beal, focusing on younger stars such as Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks and Khaman Maluach. Booker, entering his eleventh season, is now the undisputed veteran voice in the locker room alongside Beal, who has not had the best of time in Phoenix himself.

This change in dynamics was a central topic at the Suns’ recent media day. With training camp starting, the focus is on building a cohesive unit rather than relying on individual star power. Booker directly addressed the challenges of last season in his media day comments. He stated, “The leadership aspect is going to be more important than ever this year.” He acknowledged that despite his efforts, the team fell short of its goals. “I’m always going to use my voice. I feel like I used my voice a lot last year too, but we just fell short. You know, it wasn’t as connected as we wanted to be.” The admission suggests that the Suns were just as united last year as well, and simply ended up falling short as a group.

He was quick to clarify that the issues were not personal. “I don’t think anybody had problems with each other off the court. We just simply weren’t connected enough,” Booker noted. This lack of on-court synergy was a key factor in the Suns’ underwhelming 36-46 record, their lowest win total in five years. The Phoenix Suns had a bad season because their star-studded roster was poorly constructed, with crippling depth issues and a lack of consistent perimeter defense. Financial mismanagement leading to a second-apron salary was a factor, along with a lack of foresight regarding the new CBA. Offensively, their spacing was poor, making their three-point shooting ineffective, and defensively, the team suffered from poor structure and inconsistent players.

The issue appears to be simply the fact that the money they committed to their Big-3 meant that proper depth did not exist around KD, Booker and Beal. Further, injury issues hampered any progress and the team’s failure to gel ultimately led to the front office’s decision to trade Durant and reshape the roster around a different philosophy.

The bigger backdrop to Devin Booker’s speech is the ending of the Durant chapter and how that experiment unraveled on and off the court. Kevin Durant has since said he felt aggrieved by how the Suns handled his situation and accused Phoenix of airing his availability to the rest of the league calling it a betrayal. “The Suns pretty much let the league know that I was on the market”. The trade that moved Durant to Houston returned Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks, the 2025 No. 10 pick and several second round assets and forced a roster reset that shifts Phoenix from isolation scoring toward pace ball movement and deeper rotation minutes.

Booker closed media day on a pragmatic note and pushed a clear transition to the roster work ahead while asking teammates to match his tone. He made leadership a daily task rather than a talking point and told players that re establishing trust and communication will be the first order of business. That message leads straight into Phoenix’s quieter roster moves and an ownership win that reshapes the business side of the franchise.

Suns build new roster amid off-court success

While Booker focuses on leadership, the Suns front office has been quietly reshaping the supporting cast. The team recently added three players to bolster their depth: guards Damion Baugh and David Duke Jr., and forward Tyrese Samuel. These moves are designed to add youth and energy to the bench. Baugh showed playmaking promise in the G League, while Duke Jr. brings defensive versatility and Samuel provides a physical presence in the frontcourt.

These signings coincide with a significant business victory for owner Mat Ishbia. The Suns secured a new two-year broadcast extension with Gray Media worth over $30 million per season, that keeps games free to air through 2028 and widens the fan reach. This deal validates Ishbia’s decision to move away from a struggling regional sports network model two years ago.

As owner Mat Ishbia put it “This free TV deal is for our fans! Do right by the fans and the community, and great things will happen. Super proud and excited to extend this deal until the end of 2028 and we’re grateful for the partnership with @azfamily”. That business stability buys the front office time to build the basketball product Booker asked for. The shift has already proven successful, with local TV ratings for Suns games more than doubling.

This financial stability is crucial for the team’s long-term plans. It provides a steady revenue stream that allows the franchise to build sustainably around Booker, who is signed to a long-term extension. The new TV deal, coupled with the strategic addition of role players, signals a shift towards a more balanced team construction. Gone are the days of relying on top-heavy lineups that need their biggest stars to show up consistently without additional help.

This new Suns team looks much more balanced and ready to compete despite losing their biggest star this offseason.