What Band of Brothers reminded me about the Phoenix Suns’ offseason ahead.
There’s one tradition I keep every year. When June 6 arrives — the anniversary of D-Day, when Allied forces stormed the beaches of northern France in 1944 — I revisit what I believe is the finest television ever made: Band of Brothers. The 10-part HBO miniseries, released in 2001, remains as powerful today as the first time I saw it.
What makes this ritual meaningful is not that the story changes, but that I do.
Every summer, I take something different from the series. Band of Brothers follows Easy Company of the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment from their training in Toccoa, Georgia, through the battlefields of Normandy, Operation Market Garden, the frozen woods of Bastogne, and into Germany, all the way to Hitler’s Eagle’s Nest in the Alps. It’s a portrait of ordinary men doing extraordinary things under impossible circumstances.
Through those stories, I’ve learned lessons about leadership, sacrifice, and resilience. But above all, it’s the power of camaraderie that speaks to me. Having served in the military, I understand the bond forged in adversity and the quiet strength drawn from those at your side. If you’ve ever been part of a true team, you’ve felt it too. That lesson has shaped how I lead and how I counsel those under my charge. I’ve often shared the Band of Brothers ethos during difficult moments, reminding others — and myself — that leadership is never about taking from those you lead, but standing with them.
It’s a series that resonates deeply with me, and once again, this year, it did.
So what did I take from it this year? Not surprisingly, it reminded me of the Phoenix Suns. Metaphorically, of course.
The Suns are about to march into one of the most pivotal offseasons in franchise history. A new general manager. A new head coach. A roster in flux. And a culture that desperately needs reshaping. None of this is easy. In fact, it’s one of the hardest things a sports franchise can do: reimagine itself while still trying to remain competitive.
As I watched Band of Brothers, I thought about how every decision the Suns make this summer, through the NBA Draft, the trade market, and free agency, should be guided by three clear objectives. And as a fan base, we need to understand and accept these goals if we want to climb out of the mess the team has made for itself.
The first is long-term financial flexibility.
The Suns have spent so recklessly over the last two years that they’ve boxed themselves into one of the most restrictive situations in the league. It’s not just about this offseason or next year. It’s about the future of the franchise. The new collective bargaining agreement punishes repeat offenders of the second tax apron severely. If the Suns cross that threshold again in 2025–26, it would be their third consecutive year, and the league will freeze their first-round pick in 2032 and push it to the end of the round. That’s the price of reckless ambition. It’s a warning shot to ownership that long-term stability has to matter again.
The second objective is short-term flexibility, and by short-term, I don’t mean the 2024–25 season. I mean the next three years, the prime window of Devin Booker’s career.
In two seasons, Bradley Beal’s contract comes off the books, and the team needs to start shaping a roster today that will be ready for what comes after. Any trade they make involving Kevin Durant or other major pieces should have that 2027–28 season in mind, because you don’t get another Booker in this market. You have to build around him carefully, wisely, and deliberately.
And the third objective is to remain competitive next season.
Not because it’s convenient or easy, but because you don’t waste years of a star’s prime. Unfortunately, that goal isn’t perfectly aligned with the first two. In fact, next season may end up being a transition year; a necessary step back as the team retools around Booker. But if done with clarity and purpose, it can be a step forward in disguise.
That’s what Band of Brothers reminded me of this year. The war was fought one hill, one town, one day at a time. You don’t win by chasing every fight. You win by picking the right ones, holding the line together, and keeping your long game in focus, even when the world’s on fire around you. The Suns would do well to remember that now.
There’s a quote from Band of Brothers that stuck with me this year, one I’ve heard countless times but hit differently now. Lieutenant Ronald Speirs says it to Private Blithe, who’s paralyzed with fear in his foxhole, overwhelmed by the chaos of combat. Speirs leans in and tells him:
“We’re all scared. You hid in that ditch because you think there’s still hope. But the only hope you have is to accept the fact that you’re already dead. And the sooner you accept that, the sooner you’ll be able to function as a soldier’s supposed to — without mercy, without compassion, without remorse. All war depends upon it.”
It’s brutal, unflinching, and honest. And while the stakes in professional basketball don’t carry life-and-death consequences, the message still applies: You can’t operate effectively when you’re clinging to false hopes or pretending your reality is different than it is. The Phoenix Suns need to accept where they are: a team that mortgaged its future, overpaid for stars, and now faces a difficult, humbling path to repair what’s broken. The sooner they confront that truth, the sooner they can start making real, sustainable decisions.
As Suns fans, I think that’s exactly how we need to approach this upcoming season: we’re already dead.
Given the state of the Western Conference and the brutal financial restrictions this team faces, defining success by wins and losses next year is unrealistic. The sooner we accept that, the sooner we can start functioning as a fan base with clearer eyes. And begin to recognize the short- and long-term flexibility this franchise desperately needs to reclaim.
A Kevin Durant trade isn’t going to magically fix this overnight. You might get a useful asset or two, but the true goal isn’t that first trade return; it’s what you can flip those pieces into, how you parlay them into future cap relief, draft picks, and players who fit a long-term vision. It’s about breaking down this bloated, mismatched roster and setting the foundation for what comes next. And yes, there will be growing pains along the way.
This team can still be competitive in the truest sense of the word. They can play hard, play with purpose, and execute the vision of Jordan Ott. Maybe they won’t win a ton of games, but if they play the right way, if there’s a visible culture shift, that effort will matter. It might not be a championship season, but it could be the start of something more sustainable.
Because truthfully, chasing a title next year isn’t a realistic goal. This is a two- to three-year rebuild in disguise, whether the organization admits it or not.
And that’s what Band of Brothers gave me this year. A reminder that the road ahead is going to be tough. The odds are long. The situation’s imperfect. But the sooner we accept the reality of where we are, the sooner we can start finding real hope again.
Three miles up, three miles down. Curahee.
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