Are the Pheonix Suns looking to trade for a big-name talent?
The Phoenix Suns have had a tremendous offseason so far. They didn’t overcomplicate the situation of draft night and selected the hometown kid, Deandre Ayton, first overall. He has the physical tools and offensive potential of a twenty point, ten rebound per game player, night in-and night-out. He is the ideal sidekick to their franchise player, Devin Booker.
But the Phoenix Suns have made skeptical moves, too.
First, the team traded Zhaire Smith and a future first-round pick to the Philadelphia 76ers in exchange for Mikal Bridges. The problem is that Bridges is almost three years older than Smith, which seems like the polar opposite of what a rebuilding team does.
Devin Booker [Left] and Tyler Ulis (Photo, USA Today)
Second, the team released beloved point guard Tyler Ulis the night before the draft. This caused confusion to both their fan base and to Devin Booker. In fact, Booker has since displayed resentment and displeasure towards the team’s front office.
Ulis was Booker’s teammate in college and the two became close friends as they transitioned into the pros. But with Ulis gone, there is speculation into what is actually going on in the front office.
Finally, when free agency officially began, the Suns made a head-scratching move. It was the signing of 33-year-old Trevor Ariza to a one- year $15 million deal. A rebuilding team typically doesn’t sign older veterans unless the mission is to develop younger players.
That signing creates a frontcourt logjam. At small forward, the team now has Trevor Ariza, Mikal Bridges, Josh Jackson, and TJ Warren. All four of those players are capably productive at twenty minutes per contest. At power forward, the team has Marquese Chriss, Dragan Bender, Alan Williams, and Jared Dudley. Again, all of those players are respectable players, no means benchwarmers.
But having eight quality NBA players at two positions is a concern. One reason is that players, like Josh Jackson and Marquese Chriss, will won’t be able to develop quickly due to limited playing time.
But perhaps the signing of an older small forward and the releasing of a young guard means something entirely different. And this is where things get interesting.
On top of the plethora of young talent at wing, the Suns have a protected first-round pick from the Milwaukee Bucks in the 2019 NBA Draft. The team has gained significant capital as a result.
With a few transactions the Suns can quickly turn around a rebuilding team into a contending team.
Here are several trade candidates.
Kevin Love: With LeBron James departing for the bright lights of Los Angeles, the Cavaliers should be in for a full-scale rebuild. Additionally, the selection of Alabama point guard, Collin Sexton, signifies the future in the backcourt. But a player remains from the Cavs’ team that can still be an important part of a winning team: Kevin Love. A trade involving Marquese Chriss, Jared Dudley, and the Bucks’ protected pick could be in play. This would dramatically benefit both teams. For the Suns, it allows the team to play Ayton at power forward–the position at which he played a significant time in college. Having Love at center surrounded by shooters would allow for a five-out and fast-paced offensive team that could score in bunches. For the Cavs, acquiring a young big man and a draft pick would greatly help the team’s ideas for the future.
Kemba Walker: Walker, one of the more talked-about players on the market, could fit a drastic need for the Suns. He could become the catalyst to facilitate the offense. With Devin Booker playing alongside him, the Suns could function in a well-paced and successful offense. Besides, who wouldn’t want to see the backcourt of Walker and Booker night after night? In order to pull this off, though, the Suns would have to trade the Bucks pick, Brandon Knight, TJ Warren and Jared Dudley, while the Hornets would also have to dump Nic Batum. That Bantum move would help the Hornets, given Batum’s enormous contract (signed in 2016).
Bradley Beal: The Washington Wizards’ players haven’t exactly seen eye-to-eye recently. After disputes between John Wall and several other players on the team, it is clear that there is a lack of trust and chemistry in the team’s locker room. Furthermore, John Wall has been on the books saying that the team needs a better, more athletic big man. That’s why a trade involving Marquese Chriss and other assets would greatly help the pace of the Wizards offense. If this trade were to go down, then the positions of Beal and Booker could become interchangeable. Beal would guard the better perimeter player one night and Booker would be free to either facilitate or receive opportunities to score.
No matter how things shake out, opportunities are intriguing. Only time will tell what the Suns will do.
