At a time when the Suns have become desperate for cost-effective talent to develop, they must face the harsh reality that a golden opportunity has passed them by.
Suns officially lose No. 10 pick in 2025 NBA Draft to Rockets
Despite Durant’s best efforts to keep an injury-plagued team afloat, Phoenix failed to realize its potential. The Suns went 49-33 in Durant’s first season with the franchise, during which time he played 75 games.
Unfortunately, Devin Booker missed 14 games due to injury, Bradley Beal was absent from 29, and the Suns’ lack of depth derailed its momentum en route to a first-round exit.
2024-25 proved to be a remarkably similar story, only with Durant missing 20 games and Booker playing 75. Beal was absent from another 29, and not even a promising mid-season trade for center NIck Richards could fix what was already broken.The latest in a seemingly endless list of first-round draft picks sent out during the Kevin Durant trade has officially conveyed. On Monday, May 12, the 2025 NBA Draft lottery revealed that Phoenix will be sending the No. 10 overall selection to the Houston Rockets.
Far from the end of the Durant trade saga, the Suns have been given yet another reminder of how much they gave up for their failed experiment.Phoenix acquired Durant from the Brooklyn Nets for a package that included Mikal Bridges, Cameron Johnson, four first-round draft picks, and a pick swap. The Suns still owe Brooklyn first-round selections in 2027 and 2029, and the pick swap will be available to the Nets in 2028.
Phoenix has done some degree of damage control by acquiring three future first-round draft picks from the Utah Jazz, but the impact of the Durant trade continues to haunt them.
Phoenix can take solace in the fact that it will receive the No. 29 overall selection in the 2025 NBA Draft from the Cleveland Cavaliers. Unfortunately, it missed out on a top-10 selection in a class that’s believed to have more depth in terms of top-end talent than the 2024 group.
