The Washington Wizards got an incredible deal. Last night, they traded an expiring contract in CJ McCollum and a role player in Corey Kispert to the Atlanta Hawks for a 27-year-old four-time all-star who
is still at the peak of his powers. It is the type of deal that people should be calling a swindle.
So, the question should be asked: if the price was so low on Trae Young and the Phoenix Suns didn’t come into this season with a starting point guard, why didn’t Brian Gregory outbid the Wizards?
The Contracts Required
Trae Young is going to make $46.4 million this season. In order for the Phoenix Suns to have made a deal, they would have been required to trade one of Jalen Green or Dillon Brooks. Unless, of course, they wanted to completely gut the roster and trade all of Royce O’Neale, Grayson Allen, Mark Williams, Khaman Maluach, and Nick Richards.
Coincidentally, we got news yesterday on the trade availability of Jalen Green. It seems the Suns are currently unwilling to move him. The organization has not soured on what was thought to be the biggest long-term piece returned in the Kevin Durant trade, just because he has spent the season injured. On January 4th, Jordan Ott said that Green is making steady progress on his return to the court following his November hamstring reaggravation.
When it comes to Dillon Brooks, the Suns are as uninterested in moving him as they are in moving Green. Mat Ishbia himself, quote-tweeting a video of DeMarcus Cousins stating that the Lakers could use Dillon Brooks, stated that The Villain is staying put in the Valley.
Without moving one of Brooks or Green, there was never a path to a Trae Young trade. Phoenix’s unwillingness to move these two should be a good sign for Suns fans. Without moving one or the other, a trade for someone like Domantas Sabonis or other big-name, big-money players is unlikely.
The Point Guard Rotation
It is true that most people did not come into the season believing that Phoenix had a starting point guard. Many believed that the only playable point guard on the roster was Collin Gillespie, and he was slated to be in a backup role.
Since the start of the season, however, the Suns have found not one, not two, but three rotational point guards. Gillespie is having a career season, establishing himself as a starting point guard in the NBA. Jamaree Bouyea went from being cut by the Bucks to begin the year to a guy who will earn himself a real NBA contract. Finally, Jordan Goodwin, after having to fight for a roster spot and his NBA career during preseason, has finally had his contract guaranteed.
These three point guards, who have all been cut by teams in the past, have created a point guard rotation to be respected. While none of them will be all-stars this year, they have cumulatively played well enough that the Suns front office could confidently look at a four-time all-star in Trae Young and say, “We’ll pass, he isn’t worth what we’d have to give up.”
The Poor Fit
As Kevin Pelton broke down in his ESPN trade grade article, the Hawks have been a much better defensive team with Trae Young on the bench. While he is an offensive engine unto himself and has certainly won playoff games for the Hawks with that offensive output, his defensive liabilities have always put a cap on Atlanta’s ceiling.
Defense is hard to capture and quantify in statistics, but that does not mean it is incapable of telling a story. That story is clear with Trae Young. Last year, he had the sixteenth-worst defensive rating in the NBA. Devin Booker was tied for the second-worst.
I am not willing to call Devin Booker the second-worst defender in the NBA. Defensive statistics have a hard time accounting for what is going on around any given player, and last season was a disaster for the Suns. However, it is clear that a Devin Booker-Trae Young backcourt would be a defensive disaster.
The Chosen Path
For a team trying to build an identity around a strong defensive presence and a roster full of grit, staying away from Trae was the right move. Mat Ishbia and Brian Gregory have chosen a direction, and it seems they are sticking to it. Only time will tell if that direction is the right one.
