NBA Insider: Teams Throwing 'A Lot of Shade' at Suns amid Kevin Durant, Beal Rumors

Other NBA teams have reportedly taken some shots at the Phoenix Suns amid their immense struggles this season.

Speaking Friday on Brian Windhorst & The Hoop Collective (beginning at the 40:39 mark), ESPN NBA insider Tim MacMahon said opposing teams are throwing "a lot of shade" at the Suns:

Phoenix has carried some massive expectations in recent seasons, especially after acquiring Kevin Durant in a trade with the Brooklyn Nets during the 2022-23 season and after trading for Bradley Beal prior to the 2023-24 campaign.

With a core of Durant, Beal and Devin Booker entering the 2024-25 season, MacMahon made mention of Suns owner Mat Ishbia saying that 26 of the 29 other teams in the NBA would have traded places with Phoenix.

That statement, coupled with the Suns currently being 11th in the Western Conference with a 30-36 record, may have been the impetus behind teams clapping back.

The Suns find themselves in a difficult situation since they traded away significant assets in order to try to win a championship.

Because of trades, conditions and pick swaps, the Suns don't have true control of any of their draft picks through 2031, and they have essentially nothing to show for it.

The Suns were swept out of the first round of the playoffs last season, and if the 2024-25 season were to end today, they would not be a playoff team or even a postseason play-in team.

MacMahon said that despite the Suns holding trade talks focused on both Durant and Beal prior to the deadline, those in power believe the team is much closer to contending than most outsiders think.

Even so, MacMahon noted that everything is on the table for the Suns this season besides a trade involving Booker.

If the Suns ultimately decide that contending for the playoffs and a championship is not realistic with the current roster, this offseason could bring some major changes in an effort to recoup some of the draft capital that Phoenix has lost.