With Bill leaving the team, the deal he got became one of the worst deals in the Suns history.

(This article was published on July 17, and the author is Doug Haller, a reporter from The Athletic. The content of the article does not represent the translator's views.)

Translator's note: Before publishing this article, Bill had joined the Clippers for two years and $11 million. This article was written before Bill officially announced his signing of the Clippers.

Two years ago, the Suns reached a three-party deal with the Wizards and the Pacers, getting Bradley Bill, Jordan Goodwin, and Isaiah Todd.

Phoenix - This time is not ideal. In the Suns' last meaningless game of home against the Spurs this season, fans received a small card before entering the court. The content of the

small card is as follows:

Fans Thanks Night;

With this coupon, you can receive Bradley Bill's shaking doll. Within 30 minutes after the competition, you will receive this coupon in the square outside the museum with this coupon.

More than one person was amused that night about the combination of Bill's head-shaking doll and the fans' thank you event. Since the deal deadline, Bill has not been very popular locally, and his health has not been good in the past two years.

This is what Bill might have in Phoenix. He negotiated with the Sun to buy out an unprocessable contract on Wednesday, ending his career with the Sun. According to The Athletic reporter Fred Katz, Bill will give up $13.8 million of the $110.8 million the Suns should pay him in the next two years. The Suns can share the remaining $97 million over the next five years, with $19.4 million in dead money each year until the 2029-30 season.

The benefits of both sides are obvious with such operations: the Suns can be freed from a disappointing chapter, breaking away from the restrictions of the first and second tyrant lines, helping to form a competitive lineup; Bill, who becomes a free agent, will join a Western Conference strong team at a lower cost. He is expected to sign a two-year, $11 million contract with the Clippers after passing the waiver.

This is not the ending that most people expect. The Suns got Bill in a deal in the summer of 2023, hoping he can join forces with Durant and Booker to speed up the team's road to championship. However, reality is heading in another direction. In two seasons with the "Big Three", the Suns not only failed to compete for the championship, but even failed to win a playoff game. Last season, despite having the most expensive squad in the league, they only achieved a record of 36 wins and 46 losses and failed to make the play-offs. Frustrated boss Matt Ishbiya promises a change.

When talking about the worst decisions in Suns history, it is often mentioned that they failed to renew Joe Johnson in 2005, which may have caused the Suns to miss the championship in Steve Nash's "7-second offense" era. Years later, Robert Wall, the then-boss, also listed this as one of his biggest regrets.

Bill's joining is comparable to this. The problem is not Bill’s performance, but what it represents: a team with too many maximum players and lacks chemistry and fighting spirit will eventually turn into a costly failure.

This is not all Bill's fault. Everything about the veteran defender was known when he was traded to the Suns: a high-paying contract, untradeable terms, technical overlap with Booker, and an injury history. Bill's scoring ability is his advantage; he was selected three times by All-Star and averaged more than 30 points per game in two consecutive seasons two years ago. There is no doubt that the prospects for the trio of Durant, Booker and Bill are intoxicating. However, the Sun should be aware that: "If this is not as smooth as we expected, we will be in big trouble."

This is true, and Bill worked hard to change his game to adapt to the Sun's needs. Sometimes he does well, and can organize his offense while serving as a point guard and defends the opponent's best outside scorer. Last season, he also played on the bench for a while. But the problem with the sun goes far beyond that.

The Suns were limited by the cap space limit last season, and their choice to improve their roster was limited. Bill is obviously a deal, but because of his frequent injuries and the huge contract amount, few teams are interested in him. This led to what happened later, and the Suns turned the traded object to Durant without getting rid of Bill, but ultimately failed. Until July, the Suns reached a deal with the Rockets, and Durant was exchanged for sports guard Jaylen Green, defensive champion Dillon Brooks and the 10th pick in this year's NBA draft. The Suns used this draft pick to select Duke center Carman Maluarch.

Bill averaged 17 points per game in his last season, shooting 49.7% from the field and 38.6% from three-pointers. He provided some firepower on the bench and seemed to be determined to prove that he should be one of the team's starting five tigers. However, the deepest impression of Bill was the scene of him sitting at the end of the sun bench in casual clothes. Whenever he finds the rhythm, misfortune always comes: hamstring strain, calf injury, big toe injury. During his two years at Phoenix, Bill missed 35.4% of the regular season.

fans gradually lost patience. They also don't like Bill's answer when asked about potential deals. He reminds reporters that he has the right to veto the deal, so Bill has the initiative in the deal. This sounds a bit selfish, but it is not. Bill is a little weird – he has been criticized for tying his shoelaces during the game – but he is always a professional player. When asked about a possible buyout recently, Suns general manager Brian Gregory declined to comment, but he said his respect for Bill has not changed.

is just that Bill's performance never matches his salary.

The Sun is not completely free from the predicament. If they choose to reach a buyout with Bill with extended terms, the $19.4 million annual fee could cause trouble for the Sun to rebuild the Big Three around Booker over the next five years. But considering the status quo, this is their best choice. Staying with Bill for another two seasons will only remind people of past mistakes. It's time for the sun to look forward.

Original text: Doug Haller

Compiled by: JayChan