At the trade deadline in February, the Phoenix Suns appeared to have all the tools required to finally end their wait for an NBA title, but it ended in tears once again on Thursday.
This time, the Denver Nuggets were the villains, led by two-time MVP Nikola Jokic as they succumbed to a 4-2 series defeat in the Western Conference semi-finals after a blowout 125-100 loss on home court in Game Six.
The feeling of deflation in the aftermath of another playoff exit for a franchise without a title banner in its 55-year history was the polar opposite feeling to February when optimism abounded following the blockbuster trade with the Brooklyn Nets that took superstar Kevin Durant – a two-time NBA champion with the Golden State Warriors – to Arizona.
But when it really mattered, the Suns were already 30 points down at half time and they were bounced in the conference semis for the second year in succession, with 23 points from former MVP Durant a mere footnote on a dismal evening for the franchise.
So where do the Suns go after another season that promised plenty but only delivered disappointment?
According to ESPN, star men who were not suited up for Thursday's defeat in Chris Paul and Deandre Ayton could be those who pay the price and be traded away.
The duo played pivotal roles in the team's run to the 2021 finals, but they may have played their final games for the Suns, who have a dire need for depth in the wake of the Durant acquisition that saw Mikal Bridges, Cam Johnson, Jae Crowder and a huge haul of picks sent to Brooklyn.
The move failed to deliver the short-term boost towards a championship and it has left the Suns with a top-heavy roster with a huge reliance on Durant and Booker, who have played more minutes than anyone else in the playoffs this season.
Cameron Payne was good for 31 points in Thursday's decisive defeat, but the story of the loss has been the enormous pressure on Durant and Booker to do the vast majority of the scoring, with little in the way of quality coming off the bench.
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Masterful point guard Paul, 38, has been one of the premiere NBA players in the past decade, but he was unavailable for the final four games of the series due to a groin injury and the Suns could see it as the right time to part ways if trade interest is forthcoming.
Ayton, meanwhile, would welcome the chance to play elsewhere, ESPN reports, owing to his frosty relationship with the team since denying his wish for a max extension at the end of his rookie deal, only fork out a $133million four-year deal in order to keep him amid efforts to sign the seven-footer from the Indiana Pacers last summer
The 24-year-old former number one overall pick was disappointing in the series defeat to the Nuggets, being dominated by Denver superstar Jokic, and the Suns are expected to shop the big man around the league this summer as they vie to recoup some draft capital to rebuild around Booker and Durant.
