By Aayaan Sayadee,EssentiallySports

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He was quick to clarify that the issues were not personal. “I don’t think anybody had problems with each other off the court. We just simply weren’t connected enough,” Booker noted. This lack of on-court synergy was a key factor in the Suns’ underwhelming 36-46 record, their lowest win total in five years. The Phoenix Suns had a bad season because their star-studded roster was poorly constructed, with crippling depth issues and a lack of consistent perimeter defense. Financial mismanagement leading to a second-apron salary was a factor, along with a lack of foresight regarding the new CBA. Offensively, their spacing was poor, making their three-point shooting ineffective, and defensively, the team suffered from poor structure and inconsistent players.

The issue appears to be simply the fact that the money they committed to their Big-3 meant that proper depth did not exist around KD, Booker and Beal. Further, injury issues hampered any progress and the team’s failure to gel ultimately led to the front office’s decision to trade Durant and reshape the roster around a different philosophy.

The bigger backdrop to Devin Booker’s speech is the ending of the Durant chapter and how that experiment unraveled on and off the court. Kevin Durant has since said he felt aggrieved by how the Suns handled his situation and accused Phoenix of airing his availability to the rest of the league calling it a betrayal. “The Suns pretty much let the league know that I was on the market”. The trade that moved Durant to Houston returned Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks, the 2025 No. 10 pick and several second round assets and forced a roster reset that shifts Phoenix from isolation scoring toward pace ball movement and deeper rotation minutes.

Booker closed media day on a pragmatic note and pushed a clear transition to the roster work ahead while asking teammates to match his tone. He made leadership a daily task rather than a talking point and told players that re establishing trust and communication will be the first order of business. That message leads straight into Phoenix’s quieter roster moves and an ownership win that reshapes the business side of the franchise.

Suns build new roster amid off-court success

While Booker focuses on leadership, the Suns front office has been quietly reshaping the supporting cast. The team recently added three players to bolster their depth: guards Damion Baugh and David Duke Jr., and forward Tyrese Samuel. These moves are designed to add youth and energy to the bench. Baugh showed playmaking promise in the G League, while Duke Jr. brings defensive versatility and Samuel provides a physical presence in the frontcourt.