‘Fresh off a lopsided 140-109 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder, the Phoenix Suns are now on a 3-game losing streak. The Suns now sit 10th in the Western Conference with a 50/50 record of 25 wins and 25 losses. Clearly, Kevin Durant and co. have serious ground to cover as we approach the All-Star break. 

However, there are a few worrying updates for the Suns ahead of their upcoming game against the Utah Jazz. Why is it worrying, you ask? Well, aside from reports of toxicity behind the scenes, injuries continue to plague their best players. So let’s not waste any time and dive into these reports, starting with the injuries.

Phoenix Suns vs Utah Jazz Injury Report – will Kevin Durant play on Friday?

Kevin Durant did not play in the Suns’ last game against the Thunder. As we mentioned above, the Suns lost that game, rather spectacularly. Reports suggested that he had suffered an ankle sprain in the second leg of the Suns’ back-to-back losses to the Portland Trail Blazers. And it seems he is at risk of missing their upcoming matchup against Utah as well. KD is marked as QUESTIONABLE on the latest injury report, turned in by Phoenix.

Exacerbating Suns fans’ woes is the mention of Bradley Beal on the injury report. Like KD, he too is listed as QUESTIONABLE. It seems Beal is dealing with a toe injury that may keep him out of the Jazz game. Additionally, Ryan Dunn is also PROBABLE to appear against Utah as he deals with soreness in his left ankle. The final player mentioned in the report is Jusuf Nurkic. He is OUT of the game because of his impending trade to the Charlotte Hornets.

But if these absentees weren’t enough cause for concern, Phoenix fans have something new to worry about. Reports have come out suggesting problems inside the Suns’ locker room. Let’s see what’s up behind the scenes in Phoenix.

NBA Insider reports “toxic” Phoenix Suns locker room 

During this trade window, the Suns attempted to bring in Jimmy Butler. But that deal fell apart when Bradley Beal and Kevin Durant refused to be traded away. Then KD was at the forefront of the trade mill as teams began enquiring about him following the Luka Doncic trade to the Lakers. Most notably, his former team, the Golden State Warriors, expressed their interest in signing him. But even that deal was dead in the water.

Amid all this doubt, the only transfer that happened was Jusuf Nurkic going to the Hornets on deadline day. However, all these shenanigans that amounted to nothing have seemingly taken their toll on the Suns’ locker room. Not surprising given how much noise the NBA media generates, especially during deadline week.

NBA Insider Ramona Shelburne recently went on air and described the situation at Phoenix as being “toxic” at the moment. “The word I would use…toxic. That shootaround yesterday I heard was very awkward…because everybody was on pins and needles wondering what they were going to do,” revealed Shelburne.

“They have to do something…The thing they were trying to do did not come to fruition because Kevin Durant said no… Do they wanna move Kevin Durant? Probably not. But if he’s the only person who is worth something right now…You have to think about it,” she added. Judging from her comments, the uncertainty cast into Phoenix by the trade deadline seems to be reverberating within their locker room.

Nevertheless, the players need to ignore the media in this instance. It’s tough, yes, not being able to count on the front office to get their team-building in order. But that should not distract the Suns’ players from the task at hand. That being winning the games on the court, regardless of what happens behind the scenes.

After all, the fans who support them through it all deserve better. This media-driven narrative of the “toxic” Suns locker room needs to be quashed immediately. And NBA veterans like Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal need to lead this charge. On the court and even off of it!