Insider Says Suns Trying to Accomplish This at Trade Deadline

The Phoenix Suns would love for this to happen as Feb. 5 rolls around.

Oct 29, 2025; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Phoenix Suns owner Mat Ishbia against the Memphis Grizzlies at the Mortgage Matchup Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

The Phoenix Suns aren't far removed from the NBA's Feb. 5 trade deadline, which will be the final opportunity for the Suns to make any potentially season-defining moves ahead of the postseason.

Phoenix, unexpectedly, has emerged as serious contenders to play deep into April, which only opens the door for possibilities at the deadline.

Will the Suns stay put? Offload? Add to the roster? All three are reasonable avenues at this point in time, though NBA insider Brett Siegel says the Suns, alongside the Denver Nuggets, would love to get below the NBA's luxury tax line:

Good question.

Suns and Denver would like to dip below the tax.

Orlando may as well — lots of upcoming money.

I no longer think Boston will. This team is good and can add without giving up Simons.

— Brett Siegel (@BrettSiegelNBA) January 25, 2026

READ: Suns Have 'Known' Interest in All-Star Center

The Suns are a mere $273,668 above the NBA's $187,895,000 million line, so only a minor move would be needed to get Phoenix below that threshold.

Many believe backup center Nick Richards, who hasn't played since Jan. 7 despite not being on the team's injury report, is a strong candidate to be moved. He's played more than eight minutes in a game just once since December.

Phoenix owner Mat Ishbia shelled out $150+ million in tax payments last year, making the Suns a repeat offender. If Phoenix can dip below the line this year and next year, they'll reset a harsh tax repeating clock that penalizes teams if they've been over the threshold in three of their previous four seasons.

With Ishbia's clear willingness to spend major money and Phoenix emerging as a much better squad than people anticipated, the organization finds themselves in an interesting place.

READ: Suns Reportedly Monitoring Hornets Forward in Trade Talks

Will the Suns push themselves deeper in the the tax this year in hopes of capitalizing on a clearly talented team? Or will Phoenix look to reset their clock after next season and hope to splurge big a bit further down the road?

The health of Jalen Green remains a factor here. If the Suns' guard can stay on the court, Phoenix seems to like how they're trending. Perhaps the Suns will let the season playout before making any major decisions one way or another.

Regardless, dealing an interchangeable player such as Richards for a cheaper depth piece appears to be the move for the Suns with roughly ten days remaining until we reach the deadline. It's a minor move that can have major implications down the road.

There's nine trade targets that do make sense for the Suns — you can read more about them here.