The Los Angeles Lakers are preparing for their opening-round playoff series against the Minnesota Timberwolves as LeBron James, Luka Doncic and company reached the 50-win plateau and locked up the No. 3 overall seed in the Western Conference in J.J. Redick's first season on the sidelines as head coach.
The Lakers exceeded expectations this season in a variety of ways. They blew by their projected win total of 42.5, outdueling the Los Angeles Clippers, Golden State Warriors, Phoenix Suns, and Sacramento Kings to lay claim to the Pacific Division crown, and secured home-court advantage in, at least, the first round of the postseason.
All in all, it is a pretty exciting time to be a fan of the Purple and Gold.
Unfortunately, for them at least, the same cannot be said about the way fans feel about their team in the Valley of the Sun as Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, Bradley Beal and the rest of Phoenix's roster failed to live up to expectations in a big way and now the consequences of those losses are being felt by some of the most important people on the team.
The Suns have parted ways with head coach Mike Budenholzer, per Chris Haynes, after Phoenix not only failed to win the Pacific Division, as they were favored to do, but managed to somehow miss the postseason altogether finishing their 82-game slate with a record of 36-46 despite having two of the greatest scorers of this generation on their roster in Durant and Booker.
The decision for Budenholzer to be the first one on the chopping block makes a lot of sense as it is immensely easier for an NBA franchise to make a coaching change than it is to attempt to recoup something close to market value in a trade involving a key piece of the roster, which is something that could still ultimately come down the line.
There will be many more changes on the way for the Suns following the decision to relieve the veteran head coach of his duties on the sidelines. One player who is guaranteed to be a part of Phoenix's plans moving forward is the aforementioned Beal, who holds all the power when it comes to his future thanks to his no-trade clause, which could very well be one of the biggest hindrances to their success.
Regardless of who is brought in to be the next head coach of the Suns, the Lakers' rival will not be any closer to competing for a championship than they are right now as long as Beal and his contract are on the books. Durant is just getting older and Booker simply isn't capable of carrying Phoenix to prominence on his own.
What once looked like a big swing in an attempt to bring the Suns a championship now looks like an embarrassing mistake that will keep Phoenix in the rearview mirror of the Lakers for years to come as the Suns are now stuck with aging stars and little draft capital to help replenish the roster around that trio.