B/R Predicts Suns Won't Trade First-Round Pick at Deadline
Despite rumors swirling that the Phoenix Suns will look to be buyers at the Feb. 9 NBA Trade Deadline, that may not be the case after all.
In a Bleacher Report article by Dan Favale going over one trade deadline prediction for every NBA team, the prediction made about the Suns may get some fans frustrated.
"Before your blood boils in an enraged haze, allow me to explain. Phoenix will make a trade. It has no choice. Jae Crowder is getting paid to do nothing, and the Suns rotation isn't deep enough to let his spot remain a zero all season," said Favale.
"This will ring hollow relative to what the Bucks are reportedly offering for him. My guess would be that Phoenix expands any Crowder-to-Milwaukee deal to include third-party facilitators rather than accept a smattering of fringe-rotation players who don't move the needle.
"These expansions, however, will not feature any of the Suns' first-round picks. They will hold out for megatrade options that are more likely to manifest over the offseason. Do the Kevin Durant sweepstakes reopen? Does Pascal Siakam go from untouchable to gettable? What surprise name hits the block? Jimmy Butler? Brandon Ingram?
"To be sure, this doesn't preclude Phoenix from making a biggish trade now. Deandre Ayton alone might be fuel for a higher-end swap. (Think: Fred VanVleet or, less likely, O.G. Anunoby.)
"Because honesty among friends is important: I'd wager against this, as well. But it seems more likely than the Suns parting with any of their firsts right now. Their 2023 pick is more valuable since they've fallen off the West's mountaintop, and flipping any future draft equity for a non-star no longer seems like it'll nudge them over the championship hump.
"If that doesn't convince you, general manager James Jones' track record for doing pretty much nothing noteworthy at the deadline probably should. He might be under renewed pressure from inbound ownership, but the still-yet-to-be-completed sale of the team could also serve as a roadblock to any higher-stakes swings.This may all be true but the Suns are a win now team. With a 37-year-old Chris Paul not getting any younger and a star like Devin Booker itching at another shot at a championship, Phoenix has to go all in even if it costs them a valuable draft pick."
In a year where the Western Conference is as weak as it has ever been, all the Suns have to do is just make the playoffs and based on their talent alone could go on a deep playoff run. Phoenix currently holds the seven seed in the Western Conference with a record of 27-26 even with all the injuries they have dealt with this season.
If the Suns could land a key role player or fringe all-star at the trade deadline, it could put them over the hump from a playoff team to a true championship contender but it will almost certainly cost them a first-round pick.
Deandre Ayton could be shipped off as well since he can garner a steep return. What will trading Ayton do for the Suns? He may not have lived up to the expectations he had upon arriving in Phoenix but the Suns should look to add pieces and not give up players in their starting rotation.
Ayton is also only 24-years-old and still has a lot of room to grow as a player before the Suns give up on him.
James Jones will have a ton of options going into the trade deadline but the decisions that he makes could determine the fate of the Suns franchise and his future with the team.
