There wasn’t much more the Phoenix Suns could have done this season to move away from the era of Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal. The return for the 37-year-old future Hall of Famer of the Houston Rockets felt a bit disappointing at the time, although we still don’t see Jalen Green in action. Dillon Brooks was as advertised, while rookie Khaman Maluach just needs a chance.
You only have to look at the LA Clippers and the way Beal has impacted that team early in the season (not by much) to know that his time in The Valley had rightfully come to an end. There’s another person who pursued Phoenix for months before falling short in an attempt to make a trade for him. They will now compete with their current team.
Suns missed the boat by adding Jonathan Kuminga.
It cannot be overstated how much securing an unlikely trade for 23-year-old Jonathan Kuminga from the Golden State Warriors would have helped accelerate these Suns’ rebuild. The reason they couldn’t get a deal over the line was because the Warriors weren’t interested in a combination of Grayson Allen/Royce O’Neale, Nick Richards and four second-round draft picks.
Statistics sheet filler ✍️
Jonathan Kuminga did it all in the season opener. pic.twitter.com/RAkWlJfBBd
— Golden State Warriors (@warriors) October 22, 2025
Allen has shown so far this season that his trade value is higher than previously thought, but that still wouldn’t have been enough to get a deal done. If the Suns were somehow reluctant to part ways with Oso Ighodaro… they shouldn’t have. Kuminga ultimately signed a two-year deal worth $48.5 million in Golden State, the kind of move that would have easily outshone Suns owner Mat Ishbia.
Phoenix certainly wishes it had the opportunity to do just that, because based on his play so far this season, Kuminga would have made a difference on both ends of the court. His passing and play is already at a level we haven’t typically seen from him in the past, and we all know Devin Booker needs all the help he can get in that area.
Defensively, he could have created different and better formations for the Suns – because although they were still small with him on the field – the combination of Kuminga and Brooks would have been a problem for the opponents. Throw in Ryan Dunn in certain matchups and that would have been another level up, while Kuminga and Brooks would still have provided something offensively.
There’s a reason why they weren’t able to get a deal done, but the Suns’ front office is certainly kicking their own ass at this point. Jonathan Kuminga would have been the perfect forward, improving every day as a two-way force, and he was so disgruntled that the Warriors were willing to listen to offers. The fact that the Suns didn’t have the players/picks to pull it off is a painful reminder of their past.
#Player #Suns #desperately #trade #offseason #thriving