The Chase Scoring King fell to an average of 17 points per game. He only took it for 4 years and his annual salary was 57.13 million! What a big mistake

The most disappointing team this season may be the first thing that fans think of the Suns. As the second-highest luxury tax this season, the Suns have the Big Three in singles and cannot even enter the playoffs. This frustration is conceivable.

The main reason is that the Suns' lineup structure has obvious shortcomings, especially the lack of inside and defensive resources. In addition, their so-called Big Three combinations - Durant, Booker and Bill, although they seem to have a huge combat power on the surface, and all of them have strong scoring abilities and leadership temperament, they actually have serious compatibility issues. They are not very good at holding the ball, and they all require a lot of ball rights to maintain the feel. Although Durant's performance this season is still steady, averaging 26.6 points per game, Booker and Bill's regression is particularly obvious. Especially Booker, when he recalled his brave performance like Jordan possessed in the 23-year playoffs, he seems to have lost his former sharpness.

In this way, if the Suns want to regain their strength, they may still need to work hard on lineup adjustment and tactical system. On the brilliant stage of basketball competition, there is such a player who averaged an astonishing 33.7 points per game in two rounds of series, plus 4.8 rebounds, 7.2 assists and 1.7 steals, shooting percentage as high as 58.5%, and shooting percentage of three-pointers reached an astonishing 50.8%. Such comprehensive data performance makes people ask: Who else can match it in today's league? However, it is regrettable that Booker, who once shocked the league with his playoff super performance, seemed to be just a flash in the pan. In the following two years, his condition gradually declined, which is a pity. On the other side, Bill was once the team's well-deserved leader during his Wizards. He averaged 30 points per game for two consecutive years. In 2021, he followed Embiid with average scores and ranked second in the league. However, time is unforgiving, and injuries are like shadows. When he switched to the Suns, he was incompatible with the new team's tactical system and his personal ability declined sharply. From his former average of 30+ points per game to his current average of less than 20 points per game for two consecutive seasons after joining the Suns, this change is very sad. What is even more shocking is that Bill was carrying a huge contract - a five-year maximum salary of 251 million yuan signed with the Wizards in 2022, and was then taken over by the Suns. Who would have expected that this big contract would become a turning point in his career, his condition declined quickly and his premium was so serious that he could be regarded as a "hot potato" in the active league.

This season, Bill's annual salary is as high as $50.2 million, ranking fifth in the league, second only to MVP-level superstars such as Durant, Jokic, Embiid and Curry. What's even more shocking is that his contract is far from over, and his annual salary will soar to an astonishing $57.13 million until the 26-27 season. What's even more tricky is that Bill also has a trade veto in the Suns, which means that the Suns management will be helpless unless he can convince Bill to leave the team on his own initiative or buy it out at any cost (which is an almost impossible task). Therefore, during this crucial offseason, Suns management faces a double challenge: on the one hand, we need to consider how to send Durant to the right team, and on the other hand, we need to pay close attention to the future direction of Booker and Bill. As a star trained by the Suns, Booker naturally attracted much attention when he stayed or left; while Bill's situation seemed particularly complicated and difficult. According to Jake Fischer, a well-known NBA reporter, the Suns still have a little confidence in Bill. They believe that trading Durant may create more offensive opportunities for Bill, so that he can regain his form and deserve the sky-high contract. However, in the eyes of many people, such an idea is somewhat self-deception and has a bit of a "breaking the can" meaning.

In addition, the Suns are also looking for candidates for the new head coach in order to quickly regroup and meet new challenges after being eliminated in the regular season. After formally deciding to adjust the coaching team, the Suns resolutely terminated their cooperative relationship with former head coach Budenholzer. Behind this change is a little-known but interesting story. Going back to mid-season, Budenholzer had a crucial interview with the team's core Bill. In this exchange, Buden expressed his expectations to Bill in an almost metaphorical way: "I look forward to portraying you as Ju Holiday in the Suns." As soon as this statement was spoken, not only did not arouse Bill's resonance, but instead planted the seeds of dissatisfaction in his heart. Bill felt that Budenholzer's words lacked due respect, and the subtle irony contained in them was like a boss who accidentally treated others' strengths and weaknesses, which made people feel unhappy. More deeply, Buden's vision seems to ignore the essential differences between players, and forcing Bill to become an all-around defender like Holiday is tantamount to seeking fish. After all, Bill has always been known for his sharp offense, and defense is not his strength, and in terms of influence and status, Bill undoubtedly surpasses Holiday. This metaphor is inappropriate.

In view of this change, in the process of the Suns' search for a new head coach, every candidate who came to interview had to face a key question: how they plan to activate and maximize the potential of Bill, free the scorer who averaged 17 points per game last season from the existing framework and rejuvenate. However, the reality is that Bill’s current contractual situation is the most difficult and overvalued throughout the league, and is extremely complicated to deal with. In addition, Durant's departure undoubtedly casts a shadow on the Suns' future prospects. Faced with this series of challenges, whether the new coach can rejuvenate his life and give Bill a second spring, and whether the Suns can quickly reorganize and regain their glory after Durant leaves, everything remains to be answered.