What's Suns Biggest Need Ahead of Trade Deadline?

PHOENIX -- The NBA's Feb. 8 trade deadline is approaching, and the Phoenix Suns are anticipated to be active in hopes of rounding out their roster and reaching the championship heights expected out of them.

Thanks to prior trades for Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal, the Suns are a bit strapped in terms of movable talent, draft picks and what they can specifically do under the new CBA thanks to their position in the luxury tax.

General manager James Jones will still be able to wheel-and-deal on a smaller scale - who should they target?

There's been plenty of talk surrounding Phoenix's lack of a "true" point guard with Devin Booker and Beal in the mix, none of which have extensive experience orchestrating an offense and that's shown in the first half of the season.

The Suns have struggled to find an identity on that side of the court and has stalled far too often.

During last night's Suns-Lakers broadcast, NBA on TNT insider Chris Haynes revealed Phoenix was not going to pursue someone else to run the point. More can be read below:

Insider Reveals Suns Plans in Trade Market

The Athletic's Doug Haller believes Phoenix's biggest need is a perimeter defender:

"The Suns may have fatal chemistry flaws with key parts not fitting as they had hoped, but one thing is for sure: They’re not going anywhere unless they improve defensively. They have willing defenders; just not great defenders. And the difference is killing them," wrote Haller.

"From Luka Dončić to Terry Rozier, too many guys are finding offensive comfort that good teams do not often allow. Josh Okogie is Phoenix’s best option, but he’s not enough. The Suns need someone who brings discipline, attitude and toughness on that end. Outscoring everyone hasn’t worked so far, and it definitely won’t in the playoffs."

Haller is right - besides Okogie (who is extremely limited offensively) the Suns simply don't have another strong defender outside of the paint. It feels like players enter Footprint Center and have season-best nights far too often against this team, which is particularly frustrating with Frank Vogel's defensive resume.

Phoenix currently ranks middle of the pack in defensive stats such as points (114.3), steals (7.3), three-pointers made (12.8) and three-point percentage (36.7%) on a per game basis.

In terms of who Phoenix could realistically move for a significant contributor, Grayson Allen and Eric Gordon are practically the names that could make sense - though it'd be tough to part with Allen considering how well he's played both ways.

The Suns have plenty of offensive firepower - we'll see if more help is coming on the other side of the court.