Maybe the Phoenix Suns squeak into the play-in round of the postseason. Maybe they fall flat with the toughest remaining schedule in the NBA.

Regardless, they need a hard look in the mirror to determine how things have gone south the past two-plus seasons. Financially, a summer trade of Kevin Durant appears the best way out of this roster mess — and he’s even admitted that looks like a possibility after the Suns shopped him at the trade deadline.

What could Phoenix get in return? ESPN’s Bobby Marks doesn’t think it’ll be close to what the Suns gave up for him: Mikal Bridges, Cam Johnson and a slew of first-round picks and swaps.

“A lot of it he’ll dictate as far as what you can get in value based on him (being) willing to extend with that team,” Marks told Arizona Sports’ Bickley & Marotta on Tuesday. “He can extend for I think two years, $120 million dollars.

“If there’s a team out there willing to throw … a lot at Phoenix and he’s not willing to extend, that’s probably not going to be a deal that will happen.”

And that is why, if the Suns do aim to move Durant, it’d be in their best interests to work with him by finding a new team that he is excited to join.

Durant’s current contract pays out $54.7 million next season, but a two-year extension would run through his age-39 season.

If he can get through the end of this season with the Suns cleanly, then maybe another team will consider the risk.

The reward could be something like this: Durant is averaging 26.7 points, 6.0 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game this year, while shooting 53% overall and 40% from deep.

Plugging him in with a younger squad that needs an ace scorer is possible. Marks believes the playoffs have to play out before Phoenix might be able to start landing on potential trade frameworks.

“We won’t know (who is interested) until we get to the first or second round here. Whether it be if Houston loses in the first round and they say, ‘You know what, we’re going to accelerate this retool of our roster a little bit further down the road.’ … We see it every year.

“You don’t know what the market is until we probably get through the playoffs.”

Is a Kevin Durant trade the biggest need for the Suns looking to 2025-26?

Phoenix’s problems, however, don’t get solved with a Durant trade alone.

He has been a relatively constant presence on the team the past two-plus seasons and under three head coaches.

Blame doesn’t stop with the players — or the coaches.

“I do think you kind of need a full audit of everything that goes on in that basketball operations department,” Marks said of how the Suns have to approach reviewing the past few seasons. “Certainly within the coaching staff, the front office and the players — and you can include ownership in there. You can start that right now. You just got to figure out: How did it go so bad?

“In the (2021) NBA Finals to now multiple coaches, certainly the ownership change and now we’re not even talking about getting swept in the first round. We’re talking about not even getting to the first round here. I think that starts right there in terms of a full audit.”

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