Suns will help Kevin Durant find his 'next trade home'

When a team ends up being the most expensive failure in NBA history, changes are to be expected.

The Phoenix Suns owned the league's highest team payroll ever at $210 million for the 2024-25 season. Paying the price for missing the playoffs for the first time since 2000 was head coach Mike Budenholzer, who was fired by the Suns on Monday after a 36-46 finish in his lone season in Phoenix.

MORE: Firing Mike Budenholzer won't fix what ails collapsed Suns

Whoever replaces Budenholzer next season will coach a Phoenix squad without Kevin Durant.

According to ESPN's Shams Charania, the Suns and Kevin Durant (and Durant's business partner Rich Kleiman) will work together this offseason to find the 36-year-old 15-time All-Star "his next trade home."

"But a lot of that will be determined by the playoffs (and) which team feels like they are a Kevin Durant away from winning a championship," Charania reported on ESPN's NBA Today. "We'll know in the next couple of months."

Reporting for NBA Today on the futures of Devin Booker, Kevin Durant and the Suns after Mike Budenholzer became the third coach fired in three years: pic.twitter.com/m4FfW3K7wI
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) April 14, 2025

One Suns star who won't be going anywhere is Devin Booker.

The 28-year-old four-time All-Star guard has spent his entire 10-year NBA career in Phoenix. Booker will remain the "foundation" of the Suns, according to Charania.

Booker's cryptic comments after the team's final home game of the season created some doubt about his future. He applauded the "real Suns fan" for showing up and then explained why it was so important for him to play in the meaningless contest.

"I pay the respects to the person that it was either their first time or maybe their last time ever seeing me play," he said.

Devin Booker on why it was important for him to play tonight.

“It took a real Suns fan to be in there tonight.

I pay respect to the person that it was either their first time or maybe their last time ever seeing me play.”@12SportsAZ pic.twitter.com/YqXdbe4bhd
— Jake García (@Jake_M_Garcia) April 12, 2025

If healthy, Booker will definitely be in a Suns uniform next season. Bradley Beal, the three-time All-Star guard who refused to waive his no-trade clause before the NBA trade deadline, desperately wants to stay in the Valley of the Sun.

“I love Phoenix. I love being here," Beal told Hoops Wire's Sam Amico. "I hope that I can continue to be here.”

Suns reportedly will trade one of their stars this offseason

By Joe Lago | Apr 14, 2025