The Phoenix Suns have been in the spotlight for recent trade news over the last few weeks. The team has had a slow start to the season at 16-18 and have an expensive roster. Questions have emerged surrounding the fit of stars on this team. That being in mind, the Suns have already made one change. The Suns moved two starters, Bradley Beal and Jusuf Nurkic, to the bench. In the Suns win over the 76ers on Monday, Beal succeeded in this role, being the team’s leading scorer with 25 points and leading the Suns in the to victory.
Regardless, Phoenix is still actively trying to trade Beal’s contract. The reason is his fit on the team with their other stars, such as Kevin Durant and Devin Booker. The Suns would like to add disgruntled star Jimmy Butler to the roster instead. Butler has requested a trade from the Heat and is said to have his destination of choice being Phoenix. Mat Ishbia and the Suns agree this would be a good match. Phoenix is said to be willing to pay Butler ultimately what he wants. This was the start of Butler’s frustrations brewing in Miami this offseason. There are multiple roadblocks to why this trade has not initially gone down, but one may be an outlier bigger than them all.
The Suns Want a Change, but at What Cost?
Initial Roadblocks To Potentially Adding Jimmy Butler To Suns
Since the Suns are in the second apron, they already have some limitations to their trade ability. For starters, they cannot aggregate salaries in a move and cannot obtain more money than they send out. A deal could be done, but the Heat do not want Beal’s contract. This must mean a third team has to be involved to take Beal’s contract on to facilitate a change.
Searching for a third team willing to take on this deal is also a roadblock. Not only do they have to welcome the trade, but since Beal has a no-trade clause, he would have to agree to join that team. This makes it extremely difficult for the Suns to get a trade done, but not impossible. If the Suns are able to find a team to take Beal’s contract while also giving up enough to make Miami happy, a three-team deal could be completed.
A Minor Bump in the Road
Now, the Suns would also have to include draft capital in a deal to ship out Beal, which they also lack. When looking at the available draft capital, they have very little to deal: a 2031 first-round pick and two second-round picks. This is what leads Mat Ishbia and James Jones to a simple question. Should they move off more value to get the guy they want?
The Ultimate Decision
If the Suns want to get back in the playoff push, a big move is needed. Beal may not vocalize frustration in coming off the bench, but he is a player who wants to start. For now, the Suns should see moving off an additional piece to get capital to push this trade and solve the issue. With that being said, the next question arises: Who is the one they should move? Who holds enough value to net a first-round pick?
Two players that come to mind to me are Grayson Allen and Josh Okogie. Both players have had solid seasons for the Suns this year, providing value to a team trading for them. They are also worth giving up a first-round pick, as Allen has proved to be a solid shooter throughout his career. He has not been as impactful for the Suns this year, with the team adding more guards. With his skill set not being available on the market, I could see plenty of teams chasing the sharpshooter. Okogie’s shooting numbers have also soared this season, making him a valuable 3-and-D player. He is shooting almost 49% from the field and 38% from three this season. With his solid defensive play and hustle, a team could convince themselves to sell a first for his play.
My Prediction
Ultimately, the Suns are willing to do whatever it is to secure Jimmy Butler in Phoenix. He has known he wants to be here, and Mat Ishbia will do anything to win a championship in Phoenix. For a third team to take on Beal’s contract, the Suns will need another first to trade to get it done. Therefore, they will trade one of Allen or Okogie to potentially get an additional first round pick, and then pursue a Butler deal. Even at this point, there remain a lot of what-ifs, but the motive is there, I would never call Ishbia out of the race on any move.
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