Suns already have scapegoat in mind with early elimination looming

Is there a team in the NBA more disappointing than the Phoenix Suns? The Suns entered the season with championship aspirations after acquiring Bradley Beal to join forces with the star-studded duo of Kevin Durant and Devin Booker yet all they could manage was the No. 6 seed in the Western Conference.

While the regular season was a struggle, the hope was that the playoffs would be when this Suns team would finally arrive. Well, we're three games in and the Suns have lost every matchup so far against the Minnesota Timberwolves, falling in all of them by double figures. The Timberwolves have dominated the Suns, particularly in the second halves of the three games.

The Suns hope to become the first team in NBA history to come back from a 3-0 deficit, but all logic dictates that their season is all but over. With that being the case, the Suns appear to already have a scapegoat in mind who will take responsibility for this failure of a season.

Frank Vogel's job is in serious jeopardy with Suns elimination looming

ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski did not mince words when talking about Frank Vogel's job status with the Suns.

"There's increasing belief around the league that Frank Vogel's job is in peril if this team loses, especially as abruptly as they might in a sweep."

With Vogel, we're looking at a classic fall guy scenario here. It's not exactly his fault that the Suns are staring at a series loss in the face, and it's not fair to fire him after just one season, but what else can they do?

Trading Durant or Booker is not something that the Suns would want to do without them asking for said move. The Suns might want to move Beal who is far from a perfect fit on this team, but his contract makes him a negative asset or at the very least one with little value and he has a no-trade clause. Even if the Suns were to find a trade for Beal, he'd have to accept it. Chances are that won't happen, at least while Booker and Durant are there.

If none of their big three can be moved, the biggest shake-up that the Suns can make would be firing the head coach. Perhaps getting a new voice leading the team can get the Suns where they want to go in the 2025 season. It's the only major move they can really make, and the Suns seem very prepared to make it if their season ends in the coming days.