It’s NBA trade deadline season, and the rumors are swirling faster than a dust devil in the Sonoran Desert. Where is Giannis going to land? What do the Dallas Mavericks do with Anthony Davis? And what,
if anything, should the Suns be doing? There are plenty of questions, and they will all be answered soon enough, with the trade deadline set for February 5 at 1:00pm Arizona time.
This is the part of the calendar when whispers start to surface. Little things here and there. For a team like the Suns, one that is competing for a top-four seed in the Western Conference, it would be irresponsible not to listen. Listening does not mean acting. It means being informed.
And here we are again, back in familiar territory. The annual idea that Miles Bridges to the Suns could someday become a thing. The reasoning is always the same. Michigan State. A tidy narrative that never seems to die.
For those curious about where I stand on Miles Bridges, I have laid those thoughts out before.
So will the Suns make a run at Miles Bridges? I think there is something to take from a recent interview Mat Ishbia did with Zach Lowe on The Zach Low Show. Quick side note, there are only a few podcasts I listen to religiously, and Zach Lowe is one of them. If you want a real sense of what is happening around the NBA, that is the one I keep coming back to.
During the interview, Zach asked Ishbia about Bridges, not directly, not cleanly, but in a way that clearly invited a response. And Ishbia answered.
“I’ll tell you that I know that guy that you’re referencing, and he’s a great player and a winner on the court,” Ishbia responded. But he added, “There’s nothing to it right now.”
My takeaway from that is this. The Suns are going to stand pat when it comes to Miles Bridges. There is no reason to chase something that could disrupt the energy and chemistry this team has built. That is not what this team is about. That is not what this season is about.
This season is about toughness, about growth, about patience. And based on his comments on the Zach Lowe Show, it sounds like Mat Ishbia sees it the same way.
What will the Suns do? We’ll find out as the week progresses, but I am firmly on #TeamNoTrade Island.
