Phoenix Suns offload their big-three era in a dramatic 2025 makeover: Kevin Durant heads to Houston, Bradley Beal exits via buyout, and Devin Booker is signed to a max extension as the lone star remaining. In return, Phoenix adds Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks, and Mark Williams, plus three 2025 draft picks—Khaman Maluach, Rasheer Fleming, and Koby Brea—locking in a new core around Booker. Green is cast as the primary secondary option, but questions linger about fit, defense, and playmaking alongside Booker. The swap signals a win-now pivot with a heavy youth infusion, aimed at restoring contention after a playoff drought.

The fantasy implications run deep: Booker remains the engine, while Green carries high-usage upside but efficiency and defensive concerns cloud ceiling. Beal’s departure reshapes rotation and minutes, and Williams provides a rookies-in-waiting floor with long-term upside. The incoming trio of teens signals upside-first bets in dynasty formats, while seasoned wings Brooks and Williams offer defensive traction and steady counting stats. In short, Phoenix is recalibrating for a return to relevance, leaning on Booker as the anchor with a volatile but exciting surrounding cast that could surprise if the pieces click.

Phoenix Suns add Steve Clifford to their staff as an advisor, tapping a seasoned NBA mind to bolster a young, upside driven group. Clifford brings 23 seasons of coaching experience and a track record of defensive organization that should help a young core grow with discipline and structure. The Suns’ newly announced on bench features head coach Jordan Ott and assistants Jesse Mermuys, DeMarre Carroll, Brian Randle, Chaisson Allen, John Little, Mike Muscala, and Sean Dwyer, plus Mateen Cleaves in a player development leadership role. Clifford’s history includes head coaching stints with the Hornets and Magic, and his Brooklyn connection with Ott hints at a collaborative, cross runway approach as he helps guide a roster now including Mark Williams and Nick Richards. The Suns also push development via the Suns JAM Session Podcast, signaling a broader commitment to integrating youth with veteran guidance each step of the way.

The move signals a shift toward defense and professional growth as Phoenix builds around a talented but inexperienced core. Clifford’s presence could translate into steadier rotations, better rim protection, and a clearer path for Williams and Richards to develop alongside the team’s young wings. Cleaves joining development efforts complements this by embedding leadership for players chasing a bigger role. In short, Phoenix is creating a bridge between tomorrow and today, aiming to accelerate growth while preserving competitive intent across a pivotal season.

Trae Young in Phoenix is a tantalizing daydream, not a current plan, with one guaranteed season at about 46 million and a likely max extension looming next summer. Atlanta isn’t rushing, and the salary math makes a full-on open-market chase unlikely; instead, a mid-term extension with a later trade remains plausible. A Suns pairing with Devin Booker would hinge on a true floor general who can thrive off Booker’s usage while unlocking Mark Williams as a lob-threat center. The piece warns against overpaying for unproven fits like Kuminga, but keeps the Trae-Booker dream alive as a high-risk, high-reward fantasy angle. It notes the league’s shift toward extensions and strategic flips over free agency, making this scenario intriguing but unlikely.

The article also leans into the practical mechanics: how Trae’s fit would dovetail with Phoenix’s defense-minded wings and interior anchor, and how a hypothetical Williams connection could elevate a premium-offense approach. It flags the reality that such a move would require cap gymnastics and a patient Hawks front office, yet frames the conversation as a refreshing, harmless basketball daydream for fantasy enthusiasts. A nod to ESPN’s Mark Spears adds credibility to the “what if” chatter, even as the piece emphasizes that realism likely keeps Trae in Atlanta for now.

The Phoenix Suns pivot their roster after a blockbuster Durant trade, shipping Kevin Durant to Houston for a package built around Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks, and the pick used to draft Khaman Maluach. The Suns followed with further youth with Maluach, Rasheer Fleming and Koby Brea in the 2025 draft and added Mark Williams in a Hornets swap, signaling a frontcourt-focused rebuild for the window ahead.

Last season’s center rotation — Bol Bol, Nick Richards, Jusuf Nurkic and Mason Plumlee — struggled to anchor lineups, so Phoenix leaned into Williams and the incoming draftees as a plan to elevate production at the five. Williams, 23, flashed elite two-way potential when healthy, but has a long injury history that drew skepticism from analysts like Iztok Franko, who ranked him low among Western Conference centers even as his ceiling remains high when on court. Jokic sits atop the league’s center hierarchy, with Wembanyama, Zubac, Sengun and Gobert rounding out the elite, while Williams enters the year with a durability debate but tantalizing upside.

For fantasy angles, Williams’ health and workload will dictate his value, while the supporting cast — Green, Brooks, Maluach, Fleming and Brea — offers volatility with upside. The Suns’ frontcourt overhaul aims to balance scoring with rim protection and efficiency, a dynamic that could elevate Phoenix back into competitive fantasy strata if Williams stays healthy and the others carve defined roles around him.