There are three ways the Phoenix Suns’ season can end in 2025:

1. Miss the play-in tournament, stigmatized as the worst super team in NBA history

2. Shamed for moonwalking into the play-in tournament with a losing record, the best of the worst in the Western Conference

3. A dramatic run to finish the season, restoring a little dignity and pride to Planet Orange.

While the team has shown better energy and competitive spirit in recent games, the last option seems patently absurd. The Suns haven’t won consecutive games since January. It would be delusional to think they could win 11 of their final 17 with the brutal schedule ahead, the record they need to get back to .500.

The season is brimming with misery and hard questions. Head coach Mike Budenholzer insists the Suns are “a good group.” He never trashes his team in press conferences or public settings, unflinchingly supportive outside closed doors.

So why are they so lacking in cohesion and effort? Why don’t they have the comprehensive buy-in you see on other teams, the ones that find a way to fight through adversity? How can a team that seems to collectively like one another be so unlikeable to the rest of us? And why are the Suns so easily punked by confrontational opponents?

Many mistakes have been made from top to bottom, from roster construction to questionable rotations to overzealous ownership. And yet nothing stings like the following:

For all their missteps, the Suns had targeted the perfect antidote. They were convinced Jimmy Butler would bring the alpha male and fierce culture the team so badly needs. Apparently, Butler was so enamored with the Suns’ interest and generosity that he made it clear to the world he wanted to play nowhere else.

In the NBA, billionaires and superstars usually get what they want. But it didn’t happen in Phoenix. It couldn’t happen. All because of the no-trade clause in Bradley Beal’s contract, negotiated by the father of the Suns’ current CEO. You can’t make this stuff up.

Making things worse, Butler has given the Golden State Warriors a new ceiling and a new sense of purpose, exactly what we are craving in Phoenix. With Butler, the Warriors are 12-1 with the second-best net rating (+12.5) in the NBA since the All-Star break, sandwiched in between the Cavaliers and Thunder.

Good news is, Booker seems inclined to stay in the Valley, especially if he gets that pricey super max contract extension that Luka Doncic didn’t receive in Dallas. And Kevin Durant is playing at such a high level that a soft rebuild might be possible with a summertime blockbuster trade.

Until then, the Suns have three options. Choose wisely.

Reach Bickley at [email protected]. Listen to Bickley & Marotta mornings from 6 a.m. – 10 a.m. on Arizona Sports.

Follow @danbickley