Brian Gregory and the Suns have moved with purpose this offseason, securing three of their own free agents and adding Miles Bridges to the mix, but as the dust settles after the opening skirmishes of the offseason, they find themselves with a couple of round holes to fill and a bag full of square pegs.
Adding talent isn’t the same as getting better, and on paper, the fit of the projected starting lineup of Booker, Green, Brooks, Bridges and Williams seems dubious. There’s not a lot of three-point
shooting, Brooks is the only plus defender at his position, there’s not a clear answer to the rebounding issues, and there’s only one ball. So while the roster has a lot of scoring options, who’s getting the shots? Or more importantly, who’s giving up their shots?
The Jalen Green mock trades have been flying since he landed in Phoenix. I’ve written about his fit previously.
I think Jalen Green is a number one option on a team. He’s not going to be a guy who thrives being the second, or in the case of last year, the third option. He’s been consistently Jalen Green throughout his career, and I think it’s unlikely that he would be effective in or even open to accepting a different role. It may be mutually beneficial for Jalen Green and the Suns to part ways this offseason. I’ve taken the time to help expedite the process by coming up with five mock trades that I would like to see in the event the Suns move off of Jalen Green.
So Brian Gregory, if you’re listening, this is how you fix the Suns.
The first option I see for constructing a Jalen Green trade is to package him with the recently signed Mark Williams to upgrade the center position. In these scenarios, we would improve at center but also open up a spot in the starting five for Collin Gillespie.
Trade Target #1: The Bucks
Suns Get:
- Myles Turner
- Kyle Kuzma
- Gary Harris
Bucks Get:
- Jalen Green
- Mark Williams
- Ryan Dunn
Projected Starting Lineup: Booker, Gillespie, Brooks, Bridges, Turner
Turner is a stretch five who could open up the floor so that Booker, Brooks, and Bridges can go to work. The Suns also get Kyle Kuzma, a 50% shooter who can guard 1-5, according to Kyle Kuzma, on a $30 million expiring contract, as well as Gary Harris. Milwaukee gets the new engine of their offense as they work to rebuild their team after Giannis’s departure. Mark Williams and Ryan Dunn are two more young players who may better fit their timeline.
This trade addresses any issues Phoenix might have with spacing in their starting lineup. Myles had a tough year last year, but he’s only one year removed from being a core piece in the Pacers’ run to the Finals. He is a better rim protector than Mark Williams, averaging two blocks a game over his career. Personally, I feel he’s a better long-term fit with Devin Booker than Mark Williams, and if Ishbia and crew are serious about building a contender around Booker, they could do much worse than a player like Myles Turner. However, one drawback is Turner isn’t a great rebounder, which remains an area of concern for the Suns going into the 2026-27 season.
Trade Target #2: The Kings
Suns Get:
- Domantas Sabonis
- Malik Monk
- Dylan Cardwell
Kings Get:
- Jalen Green
- Mark Williams
- Dillon Brooks
Projected Starting Lineup: Booker, Gillespie, Bridges, Fleming, Sabonis
In trade two, we take a huge cut, trading away Green and Brooks.
Jalen Green has always seemed like a King to me, so the fit seems natural as the Kings move to rebuild around their recent lottery pick. Dillon Brooks would give the young team a veteran who’s proven to be a leader who can help establish a culture. They’ve been openly shopping Sabonis for a while now, but he carries a large contract. He would, however, be a great fit for Jordan Ott’s offense, as a strong screen-setter and playmaker at center. He’d also immediately impact the Suns’ rebounding woes. He’s long been one of, if not the best, rebounders in the league.
I really like the fit of Sabonis and Booker. It would give Booker an outlet for when teams try to press him off the screen. He could also act as a connector, in ways similar to how Oso operates in the offense. He would be a clear upgrade over Mark Williams on the offensive end and on the glass, but the Suns would sacrifice some length inside. In addition to Sabonis, the Suns would add Malik Monk to replace the bench scoring of Grayson Allen, and Collin Gillespie, who would be moving to the starting lineup.
The second option I see for trading Jalen Green is to replace him with another guard who is more complementary to Devin Booker’s game. The following trades will involve three different types of guards: a ball-handling combo guard, a two-way guard, and a playmaking guard.
Trade Target #3: The Mavs
Suns Get:
- Kyrie Irving
Mavs Get:
- Jalen Green
Projected Starting Lineup: Irving, Booker, Brooks, Bridges, Williams
The most common response I’ve heard to fans asserting that Devin Booker needs a point guard to take the ball out of his hands is that there aren’t any point guards left and that, beyond being a table-setting point guard, CP3 was a Hall of Fame, top 75 player. Where do you find another guy like that?
In Dallas.
Kyrie has a similar skill set to Jalen Green in that he can put downhill pressure on the rim, but that’s where the similarities end. Kyrie is one of the best finishing guards ever. He’s great with the ball in his hands, but he’s also been successful in the number two role next to LeBron and Luka. He’s older and coming off an injury, but if he makes a healthy return, he’d give the Suns what they really need to free up Devin Booker: a second offensive threat the defense takes seriously.
Teams will not be able to take Devin Booker out of the game if it means giving up space to Kyrie Irving. This trade would also give the Suns a closer in the fourth quarter who is a great ball handler and good in tight spaces and big moments. It would take some of the pressure off of Booker and give the Suns more options to attack at the end of games.
There are some concerns about Kyrie’s age and just Kyrie in general, but if the Suns want to compete for championships over the next three years, an all-time great like Kyrie next to Booker would put them in contention.
Trade Target #4: The Blazers
Suns Get:
- Jrue Holiday
Blazers Get:
- Jalen Green
Projected Starting Lineup: Holiday, Booker, Brooks, Bridges, Williams
Holden Sherman from Bright Side has already posted an article about a hypothetical trade with Portland to put Jrue next to Book. At the time of the article, it didn’t seem likely to happen, but Portland just added Ja Morant and Dame Lillard is returning from injury with a no-trade clause.
Portland has said they are not shopping Jrue, but they still have some questions to answer about their roster and some of their young guards. If they choose to move on from players like Henderson or Sharpe, then a player like Jalen Green might give them back some of the pop they’d be giving up. While a Jrue trade may still be unlikely, the fit next to Booker is unquestionable.
Jordan Ott could field a different type of defense with this hypothetical lineup. A defense more aligned to his desire to create turnovers and extra shot opportunities. At the same time, Jrue is an opportunistic scorer, capable of huge games, but not needing to put up a lot of shots to make an impact. I think for the Suns this makes a lot of sense, but it may not make as much sense on Portland’s end.
Trade Target #5: The Bulls
Suns Get:
- Josh Giddey
- Isaac Okoro
Bulls Get:
- Jalen Green
Projected Starting Lineup: Giddey, Booker, Brooks, Bridges, Williams
This trade has been making the rounds on Twitter for a while now. I don’t like this trade. Giddey is a young star ascending and would add playmaking and rebounding to the Suns. He can handle the ball and allow Booker to work in more of a traditional shooting guard role. But that defense…that defense looks so awful I can’t stand it.
For all of Green’s faults and ill fit on the offensive end, I feel like he has the potential to be a really disruptive defender. Maybe not the guy you match up on the other team’s best player, but more of the impact we saw in the Golden State play-in game where he gave the Suns 3 blocks and 2 steals. Giddey would only add to the Suns’ defensive woes, which saw team after team cutting through the Suns’ defense off the drive, like paper through uncalloused fingers. You can’t win games when you can’t stop the ball. Giddey is a no-go. Shame on anyone out there who thought the Suns should trade for him.
All of these trade ideas are hypothetical. I’m not an insider. I just know center is a really impactful position on the court, a position where the Suns have, at least since I’ve been in Phoenix, always been a little shaky.
We need to get more production there, and I’m not sold on Mark Williams being able to stay healthy, and the fact that they signed him to three years makes me think that Khaman Malauch is not close to starting. I don’t think they signed Williams to be a backup at that price, not when they have Oso, who Ott turned to last year in the fourth quarter over Mark. Before the Suns signed Mark, if you had asked me whether I think we should trade for Myles Turner or Domantas Sabonis, I might have said, “No, it would interfere with Khaman’s development.” I’m not so sure about that now.
If the Suns were to trade Green, I’d prefer them to package him with Mark for a center.
Let me know in the comments what return you would like for Jalen Green or if you think the Suns should keep him. If anyone has a good Hornets trade, let me know. I looked there first and couldn’t find anything, but I’m sure Gregory could cook something up.
