Over the first eleven games of the season, it has not all been sunshine and rainbows for this Suns team. They have seen injuries, rebounding issues, and lapses on both ends of the floor. This has brought them to a 5-6 record, which lets them beat the bad teams but struggle against the good ones. As Espo from PHNX said the other night, they are basically in basketball purgatory right now, and some things need to change. Regardless of whether it’s a lineup switch, plugging in Jordan Goodwin or Collin
Gillespie for Jalen Green, or potentially a trade on the horizon.
In last night’s contest against the Charlotte Hornets, we saw Jalen Green benched and not finish the game. This move allowed the Suns to regain their lead and still win a game they should have controlled the whole way. Since Green hasn’t been playing well in the lineup and has been forced into this playmaking role, many are making him the scapegoat for the team’s early-season struggles.
While they are right to put most of the blame on him, it is not entirely his fault, as sometimes the bigs have trouble rebounding or some of the forwards are not locked in defensively.
This is where Green has become a devalued asset across the league, as they now know he cannot fit with this starting lineup, and the Suns will likely switch things up as we get closer to the deadline. With Green still 24, some lottery teams will likely be willing to take a chance on him and let him shine with their club. For the Suns, today’s news may have made that landing spot clearer.
Dejounte Murray of the New Orleans Pelicans has requested a trade. I’ve highlighted him multiple times as a good target for the Suns for many reasons, but now that his value is depleted and he’s on the market, this is the perfect trade for both teams. Both teams have an asset with depreciated value that could help the other franchise, and everyone seems to be catching on.
They’ve also been linked to Murray via Chris Haynes in this tweet. Haynes was the first to address locker-room concerns via the Suns, saying many felt the team needed a true point guard. Well, Murray could come in and fill that role as a better fit for the starters, but also mesh into the defensive identity that Jordan Ott wants to bring to this Phoenix team,
Murray, who has a $30.8 million player option next season, would accept it heading into next offseason but at 30, doesn’t seem to want a long-term, expensive deal. On the other hand, Green is young and looking to extend long term. With Booker’s contract coming up, plus the Brooks extension and a potential Bridges extension, and Beal’s dead money, it doesn’t seem feasible to pay all four players, especially when they look this bad on the court together.
Green is also the same player option as Murray, just at $36 million, and is making that same amount this season, so not only would you save $4 million this season and $6 million next year, but you would save yourself from a pain-inducing contract negotiation. It is clear Green can’t be a starter given his recent play, and Murray, who has been a head case in NOLA, may be the same, but it’s an unknown.
I feel Murray, who has been frustrated with the Pelicans this season, will buy into the Suns’ culture once he gets here. As we know, the Pelicans are bad and lack a clear direction for building. They view Herb Jones and Trey Murphy III as high pieces but not the building blocks of their rebuild. It seems like there are three timelines: Jones and Murphy III, Zion Williamson, and Murray as the vets who can help with a playoff push, and then you’ve got Jeremiah Fears and Derik Queen as the young building blocks. Getting a young player like Green may not be the best fit, but it would give him a chance to return to his scoring form and try to become their number-one offensive option.
For the Suns, this move frees up some money and gives you a player who can hopefully buy into the culture and help alleviate some of the pain for your best player. Murray isn’t coming in as a game-changing secondary option, but if he can buy into the team role and do the little things, he could find some great success in this starting lineup. Murray was an all-caliber defender in San Antonio, and yeah, he’s had many injuries, but I still think some of that player is still in him if he gets to Phoenix.
Ultimately, time will tell whether the Suns make this move or switch their starting lineups first. One good thing to know, though, is that Murray wants out, and the Suns look like one of the only teams that would need a true point guard. With both Green and Murray at their lowest values and on similar contracts, it seems a one-for-one deal could be the easiest thing for both parties. That said, the Pelicans front office doesn’t have the best track record with trades, so maybe the Suns can get something else thrown in for taking on their disgruntled player, since Green hasn’t made his frustrations as obvious as Murray’s. Could the Suns try to get a pick back in exchange for a younger asset? That’s something I’d like to see them try to pull off, alongside bringing in Murray to give them more flexibility in the long term.
What are your thoughts? Is Dejounte Murray someone you would like the Suns to go after? Is there another piece you think would be a better fit? Ultimately, given what assets the Suns have to trade, this may be the best option they can pursue without hurting their depth too much, and I’d like it to materialize.
