NBA offseason guide - Are the Suns getting closer or further from an NBA championship? - ESPN

The Phoenix Suns team that made it to the NBA Finals in 2021 has slowly slipped further away from matching that goal in the two years since, losing in the Western Conference semifinals for the second year in a row.

Even after adding Kevin Durant at the NBA trade deadline, the Suns did not quite live up to the expectation of being a championship contender.

The Suns' front office will have to make a decision on whether to continue with the current core with veteran point guard Chris Paul in a critical veteran leadership position, or move in a new direction.

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Even with the addition of Durant, the Suns are further away from competing for a championship than the prior two seasons. The second-round series loss to Denver proved that. Durant and Devin Booker are franchise players, but the Nuggets exposed a top-heavy Phoenix roster that is lacking significant depth. However, the reality is Phoenix is limited in how it can upgrade the roster in the offseason. It is nearing the $179.5 million second apron and likely will not have the $5 million taxpayer midlevel exception available (to be fair, Phoenix had access to the $6.4 million tax midlevel last year and did not use it).

The Suns also do not have a first-round pick in June, nor are they allowed to trade a future first in any deal. The offseason plan consists of three options. They can take the same approach from last year and fill the roster with players signed to the veterans minimum. That comes with a huge risk given that none of Durant, Booker and Paul reached the 60-game mark this season. Since returning from his Achilles injury in 2020, Durant has played 137 games in three seasons.

The second option would be to bring back forwards