Can the Suns make the play-in? One anonymous exec doesn’t think so

The Phoenix Suns are in the thick of the NBA’s play-in race and, as it stands right now, are on the outside looking in.

The Suns (27-30) currently sit at 11th in the Western Conference, 1.5 games back of the Sacramento Kings (28-28), three back of the Golden State Warriors (30-27) and 3.5 back of the Dallas Mavericks (31-27) and the Minnesota Timberwolves (31-27).

So, we have the million dollar question, can the Suns make the play-in?

The obvious answer is, technically, yes they certainly can. The Suns are just 1.5 back of the Kings with 25 games left, including two against Sacramento, but have the hardest remaining schedule per Tankathon. Since the trade deadline, the Suns have gone 2-5.

One anonymous NBA Western Conference team executive doesn’t like the Suns’ chances among the group of Dallas, Golden State, Sacramento and Phoenix, as it stands.

“Phoenix, which is wild to say,” the unnamed NBA higher-up told ESPN’s Tim Bontemps. “They look like they can’t stand being around each other.”

A different unnamed source, a Western Conference scout, wasn’t hopeful in the Sacramento’s or Dallas’ chances.

“I don’t trust the Kings,” the West scout said to Bontemps. “I think Dallas is the biggest threat to drop, thanks to all the injuries and the timelines for all of them to come back.”

A look at the teams ahead of Phoenix in the West play-in race

Three of those teams in the West play-in race made major moves at the trade deadline. Phoenix and Minnesota, meanwhile, did not make any trades involving a current or former All-Star.

Starting with the team with the least chance to fall off, Minnesota, which received some clarity about who exactly will run the team in the future. The Timberwolves sit solidly and are healthy in seventh heading into the stretch run.

The Mavericks shocked the sports world by trading Luka Doncic for Anthony Davis and Max Christie. Since trading away their former franchise pillar, Dallas has gone 5-4 but is missing Davis for at least the next two weeks. That makes Dallas a prime drop-down candidate.

The Warriors have been rolling since acquiring former Suns trade target Jimmy Butler at the NBA trade deadline. Golden State has gone 5-2 since the deadline and shows no sign of dropping down in the play-in race — the opposite appears even more likely, with room to move out of the play-in into the postseason proper.

Then we come down to the Kings. Sacramento parted with point guard De’Aaron Fox at the trade deadline and in came Zach LaVine from Chicago. Since the trade, the Kings have gone 3-3. If there are any teams among the group that the Suns can overtake, the Kings or the Mavericks could be the likely ones to fall down in the standings.

The teams below the Suns — the Victor Wembanyama-less San Antonio Spurs (24-31) and the Portland Trail Blazers (24-33) — are longshots at the moment.

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