This Proposed Suns Trade Would Be a Massive Mistake

This would be a terribly short-sighted move by Phoenix.

Dec 23, 2025; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Phoenix Suns center Khaman Maluach (10) against the Los Angeles Lakers at Mortgage Matchup Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

The Phoenix Suns haven't been strangers to trade chatter ahead of the NBA's Feb. 5 deadline, though a recently suggest trade wouldn't sit well with the fan base.

Nor should it.

In The Athletic's recent power rankings, they plugged in one dream trade target for each team.

For Phoenix, it was Pacers forward/guard Bennedict Mathurin — which the acqusition in itself wouldn't be horrible.

However, the cost to do business is.

Suns Would Make Massive Mistake Giving Up Khaman Maluach

Dec 23, 2025; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Phoenix Suns center Khaman Maluach (10) against the Los Angeles Lakers in the second half at Mortgage Matchup Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

"The Suns had an impressive week of wins, blowing out both the Pistons and Cavaliers without All-Star Devin Booker. Keep in mind, this is a Suns team that won one game all of last season without Booker in the lineup, and Jalen Green has only played five games this season," wrote Law Murray.

"I do wonder if they could use a free-throw merchant like Mathurin for the bench in the playoffs, especially if it would only cost them Jordan Goodwin and seldom-used center Khaman Maluach. Green’s and Booker’s returns to health are going to squeeze small guard minutes, and Mark Williams has played well enough to be considered the team’s center of the future; would that change how the Suns approach the deadline?"

READ: 3 Last-Minute Trades Suns Should Make

Goodwin has been playing out of his mind defensively and is viewed as a spark plug for the Suns, especially coming off the bench.

However, that's not even the biggest question mark here. It's dealing a top-ten pick (and still a rookie) in Maluach.

Admittedly so, Maluach hasn't gotten the expected run of a No. 10 overall pick. And when you scan across the league to see impacts being made by some of his classmates already, it's easy to get caught up in the short-term.

However, the Suns knew Maluach wouldn't be ready to dominate in his first season. The same can be said for the rest of the league, which widely viewed Maluach as project entering the draft. The Duke big man wasn't initially on Phoenix's radar with the tenth pick... simply because the Suns didn't think he would be there.

READ: Suns Send Clear Message Ahead of Trade Deadline

Maluach hasn't played much this season simply due to necessity. Phoenix has seen Mark Williams completely healthy, as the big man has already hit a career high for games played in a season before the All-Star break even arrives.

Oso Ighodaro's second-year transformation as an athletic big has been nothing short of notable under new head coach Jordan Ott, too.

Maluach has gotten run in the G League while he develops — and his upside is still massive as a lengthy rim-protector entering the future.

The Suns are playing the long game with Maluach, and with their surprising success this season, that's all the more reason to take their time with what could potentially be a huge building block for this team down the road.

It would be a massive mistake to offload Maluach in most circumstances, barring an undeniable trade offer.