You know that sensation you feel when you’re about to leave an AirBnB or a vacation rental home for the last time? When you just look at the empty space thinking, “man, I’m never gonna be back here again.” You’re not sad about moving on for good — it’s more of a brief, blank stare acknowledging the vague melancholy of standing in a place you’ll never again be.
That’s how I feel watching the Phoenix Suns play basketball. Never mind that they are a fossil of a bygone era of NBA basketball; the Suns are a mere ghost of a good basketball team haunting the Footprint Center in Phoenix, Arizona.
Take one last long look at the Suns when they play the Wizards. Any day now the complexion of this team is going to be completely different. Kevin Durant and Devin Booker are sure to survive the season before a blockbuster trade shakes things up even more, but everyone else ranges from “probably will be traded” to “this guy is as good as gone” ahead of the impending trade deadline.
I already previewed the Suns ahead of their matchup against the Wizards last week; you can check that out here. I’ve got you covered with all the team’s updates since then.
Updates since last time
Hope you’re not sick of incessant trade rumors! Jimmy Butler is still not a Sun, a fact that seems to be all anyone wants to talk about despite the 35-year-old not even being the most valuable trade asset on the market (shoutout to Cam Johnson).
Since the last time we checked in on the Suns, they have made a big trade (and by big trade, I mean they traded for a big). Phoenix swung a trade for Charlotte center Nick Richards to bolster their ghastly center rotation; the jury’s still out on whether the Suns’ season will meaningfully change, but 33 points and 30 rebounds through three games is a good sign!
Wizards’ outlook
The Wizards are creeping dangerously close to being the worst team of all time. They’re in the midst of a 12-game free fall, and their only games between now and the end of February that aren’t against playoff-caliber teams (or teams desperately trying to turn things around, for that matter) are games against Toronto, Charlotte, and Portland, and two games against Brooklyn.
I’m looking forward to seeing the Wizards’ rookies and Bilal Coulibaly guard some of the best scorers in the game in Booker and Durant. As Durant pointed out last time the Suns and Wizards played, Washington’s post-rebuild defense could be scary.
Kevin Durant — perhaps the most gifted scorer in NBA history — said the Wizards will be “tough to score on in the next few years” thanks to their rookies. 👀
— Bijan Todd (@bijan_todd) January 17, 2025
“I think defense is gonna be the first thing you see from this group…I can’t wait to see it, I wanna see them do well.” pic.twitter.com/UqBFZvze62
Washington’s defense at this stage is anything but scary — they have the worst defense in the NBA and their opponents score 122 points per game. But the combination of Coulibaly on the perimeter and Alex Sarr down low especially projects as a lockdown unit once they hit their mid-20s.
Wizards at Suns tips off Saturday night at 9 p.m. EST at the Footprint Center in Phoenix, Arizona.