Suns Had One of Worst Trade Deadlines

The Suns really blew a big opportunity at the trade deadline.

Feb 12, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Phoenix Suns forward Kevin Durant (35) reacts to call in the second half against the Houston Rockets at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Thomas Shea-Imagn Images | Thomas Shea-Imagn Images

The Phoenix Suns had a massive opportunity to change the course of their roster at the NBA's trade deadline, though when the dust settled, it was rather disappointing.

Such is life when Jimmy Butler rumors dominate headlines for weeks leading up to the deadline before nothing eventually comes to fruition - and upsetting Kevin Durant by A) trying to trade him and B) not involving him during said talks - has led to a very unsettling feeling in terms of his future.

Many around the desert believe the Suns had one of the worst deadlines across the league, and that's a feeling shared by The Athletic, who ranked their efforts 29th out of 30 teams, only being outdone by the Dallas Mavericks and their puzzling decision to trade Luka Doncic:

"The Suns’ deadline wasn’t as destructive, but elements of it were flat-out hilarious," wrote John Hollinger.

"The Suns basically traded a dollar for three quarters when they moved an unprotected 2031 first to Utah for three other firsts that are likely to fall late in the draft. The assumption at the time was that the Suns must have other moves lined up to immediately take advantage. Nope! They just kind of wanted to make change.

"Had they been slightly more patient, the Suns likely could have just traded Jusuf Nurkić and one of those firsts for Nick Richards and Cody Martin. Instead, they almost certainly paid more in draft capital by doing it as two separate deals and ended up with the extremely waivable Vasilije Micić on their roster instead of the now-departed defensive energizer Josh Okogie.

"The Suns will have their 2032 draft pick frozen as a result of landing over the second apron. Even with Nurkić’s money off the books, Phoenix will need to cut more money this offseason to get below the second apron and avoid having that pick moved to the back of the draft."

Moving off Nurkic ultimately was a good move, though the Suns very obviously needed to make a swift change and failed to do so.

Now, they enter the second half of their season with a cloudy outlook, and the upcoming summer isn't any more promising.