Now that the dust has settled after an eventful NBA trade deadline, all the attention goes to the playoff race. As of now, the Phoenix Suns’ record is 31-21, sitting in seventh in the Western Conference and able to climb even higher. The Suns are only one game behind the Timberwolves, Lakers, and Rockets, and are two games behind Denver for third in the conference.
The good news for the Suns is that no team ahead of them made a big move to improve significantly. Nor did any teams following closely
behind them.
Let’s start with the top-tier title contenders. The Thunder added Jared McCain, who could play backup guard minutes, but is not a game-changer for them this season. The San Antonio Spurs did not make a move at the deadline and have a roster that is ready to compete for an NBA title. The Denver Nuggets traded Hunter Tyson and a second-round pick to Brooklyn for tax purposes and to open up a buyout spot on the roster. No needle movers so far.
The Houston Rockets stood still as well. Maybe a point guard worth adding will appear on the buyout market, but the Rockets will likely head into the playoffs as currently constituted. As for the Los Angeles Lakers, LeBron James is still on the team despite the rumors that he and the Lakers are potentially ready to part ways. The Lakers did trade Gabe Vincent for Luke Kennard to add more perimeter shooting and another traffic cone on defense. The Lakers need shooting and found a reliable shooting option in Kennard, but he will only make an already flawed defensive roster even worse.
Perhaps the best news of all for the Suns, and all Western Conference teams, is that Giannis Antetokounmpo did not get traded to any team in the West. The Timberwolves were wheeling and dealing at the deadline and were reportedly one of the teams interested in Antetokounmpo. The Timberwolves traded Mike Conley, Rob Dillingham, and second-round picks in separate trades. The return? Ayo Dosunmo from Chicago: he is an upgrade at the guard spot and will help Minnesota fill the biggest hole it has on its roster. Is he a good fit for what they needed? Mayyyyyyybeeeeeee…? As far as needle-moving trades go, this one was the only trade by a team ahead of the Suns that made them better.
Now we are to the Suns, who traded Nick Richards and Nigel Hayes-Davis to Milwaukee for Amir Coffey and Cole Anthony. The move was made primarily to get Phoenix below the luxury tax, so neither player will crack into the Suns’ rotation immediately (Anthony might get cut before ever showing up), but if Phoenix continues to suffer injuries, they could find their way into some playing time.
Now this is where things get a little more interesting. The eighth-place Golden State Warriors finally traded Jonathan Kuminga, who finally got his wish after making his 17th trade request in the last two seasons. The full trade included Kuminga and Buddy Hield for Atlanta Hawks center Kristaps Porzing in return. The Warriors add much-needed size, but injury concerns for Porzingis are real. If Porzingis plays, he makes the Warriors much better, but after losing Jimmy Butler for the season, Golden State needed a bigger move to have a shot at making a playoff run.
Despite being one of the best teams in the NBA over the past month or so, the ninth-place Los Angeles Clippers were sellers at the trade deadline. They were 17-4 in their last 21 games, but still decided to trade James Harden and Ivica Zubac. Harden was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers for guard Darius Garland, who, while talented, has spent more time on the bench this year due to foot injuries. Long term, the Clippers made a shrewd, smart move to get younger and take a chance on hitting big with Garland, but it makes the Clippers worse right now.
The other move they made was trading Zubac for Bennedict Mathurin and two first-round picks. Another long-term move from the Clippers that could work out, but it does not improve the Clippers pursuit of a playoff spot. Regardless of the Clippers getting worse at the deadline, they are not a team you want to see in the play-in with a healthy Kawhi Leonard.
The tenth-place Blazers added Vit Krejci for Duop Reath a few days before the deadline, and other than that, were as quiet as a mouse.
As for the rest of the conference, unless the Suns spiral to end the season, they will not get caught by any teams below the Blazers. And even that is being extreme. However, the race for the two play in spots behind the Suns and Warriors is wide open. The Memphis Grizzlies traded Jaren Jackson Jr. to Utah and appear to be blowing things up. The Utah Jazz have a lot of good players on the roster, but owe the Thunder a first round pick if it falls outside the top eight. Will they continue to rest and tank to keep their pick? Or will they make a run at the play-in?
Overall, things could not have worked out better for the Suns at the deadline. No team behind them made a move that puts them in jeopardy of not hosting a play-in game at worst. At best, if the Suns continue to play well and any team falls in front of them, they could finish in the top six in the West this season and a real chance to potentially win a series depending on the matchup.
