Are Super Teams a Thing of the Past?
The Phoenix Suns traded for Kevin Durant during the trade deadline last season in hopes of building a championship contender. In doing so, the Suns traded most of their depth and as a result, could not make it out of the second round. The Suns tried to double down on creating a super team as they traded for Bradley Beal this offseason. What little depth the Suns had left is now gone, and they have to bank on their star players staying healthy.
The playoffs last season proved that super teams with little depth will not have success in the playoffs anymore. The two teams that made it furthest in the playoffs are arguably the two deepest teams. The Nuggets had a very strong bench with guys like Bruce Brown and Jeff Green stepping up. The Heat had so many quality role players who played well during the playoff run, something that can’t be said for Phoenix. These teams were comprised of one superstar, one all-star, and many quality role players surrounding them. This formula is the new way to build a championship roster, as proven by last year's playoffs. Superteams are a thing of the past, and Phoenix will end up regretting trading all of their depth for star players who have never shared the court.