The Suns are far enough into the season that we can see how the roster is shaking out, where the team is doing well, and where it is doing poorly.
Now that Collin Gillespie has proven himself to be a starting-caliber point guard, the need at that position has diminished. However, the new position of greatest need is at the power forward position. Journeyman Isaiah Livers is the best option available; everyone else is a small forward playing out of position, and it shows. You can see this in his net
plus/minus per 48 differential, where he leads the team among players with more than 2 games played.
One thing to note is that, right now, Grayson Allen and Royce O’Neale are about as valuable as they’re going to get, with both putting up career-year level numbers. The time to sell is now, while looking for guys to “buy low”.
I’ll separate the trades into categories from minor to major upgrade, analyze the pros and cons for each team, describe what the Suns would likely have to give up, and how plausible the trade is overall. Keep in mind that, given how bad the situation at power forward is, every one of these would likely be an upgrade. At the very least, they’d provide depth if Livers gets hurt again. I took into consideration team needs: defense, size, age, and three-point shooting in particular (i.e., are they “aligned” with the current team vision).
Rummaging the Bargain Bin
Kyle Anderson (UTA, 6’8”, 230 lbs, 32 YO)
Anderson was never fast, but at 32, he’s not getting any faster. That said, he’s a heady player with a feel for the game who has traditionally played solid defense based on his high basketball IQ and effort, which sounds like a Jordan Ott kind of guy. He’s glued to the end of Utah’s bench, and his $19 million in salary over the next 2 years means his asking price is low. The problem for the Suns is that the only player who matches salary is Royce O’Neale, who at least provides spacing.
Utah would agree to the trade, but it’s less likely the Suns would do so.
Kevon Looney (NOP, 6’9”, 222 lbs, 29 YO)
Looney is something of a PF-C. He plays solid defense, rebounds very well, and doesn’t do much else. He too is stuck collecting DNP-CDs in New Orleans. He would be at least a lateral move from Livers. One big plus is that he was a starter on some very good Golden State teams. He has two years at 8 million with a team option on the last year. Again, Royce O’Neale would be the most likely option, though Nick Richards and Nigel Hayes-Davis would also work. His primary value to New Orleans is as an expiring contract, so I suspect either option is plausible.
Guerschon Yabusele (NYK, 6’7”, 265 lbs, 30 YO)
Guerschon Yabusele had a breakout year with Philadelphia last year (11 ppg, 5.6 rpg, in 27 mpg on 50-38-72 shooting splits). He has a throwback body to the late 90s, reminiscent of Robert “Tractor” Traylor. This year, he’s stuck to the end of the Knicks bench and reportedly hating life while the unforgiving Knicks fans heap abuse on him, as he still tries to be a good teammate.
This looks like a classic “needs a change of scenery” scenario.
The downside to his game is that he’s painfully slow of foot, has little vertical leap, and his defense is lacking as a result; it’s something less than an ideal fit, and these issues are similar to the ones Hayes-Davis has on the team already. Given that he has ~10.5 million on two years remaining on his salary, the Knicks would likely say yes to a deal for Richard’s expiring contract. Still, this might be the best option for a low-risk, high-reward flyer on a player.
Ousmane Dieng (OKC, 6’9”, 185 lbs, 22 YO)
The Thunder are reportedly shopping the former 11th pick in the 2022 draft. He has not shown the development necessary on a stacked championship-caliber team.
However, one area for hope is that his three-point percentage has risen every year in the league, and he’s shown flashes on defense as a skinny power forward who can rotate on the perimeter. He’s due $6.6 million contract this year and has a $9 million qualifying offer for next year. The asking price would be Richards’ expiring contract plus a second-round pick. However, the Suns probably remember the disastrous Darius Bazley (who is out of the league now) trade, which looks an awful lot like this as well.
This looks like a very doable trade, but if Dieng fails to produce, the Suns can move on and renounce his QO.
Mid-Level Guys
Robert Williams III (POR, 6’9”, 249 lbs, 28 YO)
Williams was a crucial piece of the Celtics team that made the NBA Finals in 2022. He’s a power forward/center who played elite defense for the Celtics and can clean the glass at both ends. And…that’s about all he does.
It’s unclear if he would fit with the Suns, given his lack of offense and his focus on being more of a center than a power forward. Still, he would address some of the team’s biggest needs, and his asking price is probably Grayson Allen. Williams is on a $13 million expiring contract, while playing 16 mpg in 21 games (out of 33) for a Portland team that’s going nowhere fast.
In terms of plausibility, I don’t think either team would hang up on the other if a discussion were started.
Jarred Yabusele (LAL, 6’8”, 214 lbs, 26 YO)
Laker’s coach JJ Reddick is unhappy with his team, and he’s saying so publicly. The Lakers’ record is good enough for 5th in the Western Conference, but that’s deceiving. Their -0.4 point differential says they’re far worse than their record suggests, and the eye test says the same.
They’re looking to potentially shake up the roster, and Vanderbilt is a potential target. He’s a defensive specialist tweener-forward who rebounds well for his size. He’s shooting 39% from three-point range this year, but odds are he’ll regress towards his career average of 30%.
However, he fits the mold of a young, athletic, multi-position player who can defend well in space, while rebounding at a level commensurate with a “true” power forward. He’s an absolute zero on offense, though.
Vanderbilt is due $40 million over the next three years, with $10.7 million this season. The most plausible trade would be Grayson Allen, who would likely fit in well with Reaves, LeBron, and Doncic as an off-ball three-point specialist who can guard spots at the 1-3 and serve as a secondary ball handler.
Thus, I could see potential for mutual interest if Brian Gregory thinks he “aligns” with the team vision.
Brandon Clarke (6’8”, 215 lbs, 29 YO)
Clarke is one of those guys who don’t put up big stats, but whenever you look at the +/- in the box score, his team seems to be winning when he’s on the court. Despite his lack of scoring, offenses continue to flow while he’s on the court, and his defense grades out at about the 85th percentile. He’s behind Santi Aldama and GG Jackson on the Grizzlies bench and ultimately expendable, so even when he gets healthy, he’s not looking at a lot of playing time.
He’s due $25 million over the next two years ($12.5 million this year) and could legally be traded for either Allen or O’Neale. Again, this is one of those trades where I don’t think either team hangs up on the other.
Jonathan Isaac (ORL, 6’10”, 230 lbs, 28 YO)
Isaac has a long history of injuries, some “interesting” personal views, and couldn’t score 20 points if you locked him in an empty gym for 48 minutes. As a rangy, mobile power forward he also rebounds and defends at an elite rate.
And when I say elite defender, I mean it.
Per the dunks and threes website, he had the best actual defensive +/- in the league in 2023-24, while ranking in the 85th percentile in offensive rebounding and the 90th in defensive. He’s currently injured (again) and only averaging 11 mpg this season. His contract is for $59 million over the next 4 seasons and $15 million this year. Some combination of either Royce O’Neale/Richards (together) or Grayson Allen (alone) would likely be enough for Orlando to part ways.
This would be a huge risk for the Suns, but it would also be the end of worrying about rebounding and defense. Scoring is another matter, however.
Obi Toppin (IND, 6’9”, 220 lbs, 27 YO)
Toppin is currently injured, his rebounding is “meh”, and his defense veers between stiff-hipped and lackadaisical. But he’s a rangy, athletic power forward who shoots the three well enough (career 35.3%) that you can’t leave him completely alone on the perimeter. He plays way above the rim as well and was a dunk contest winner in 2022.
Obi attacks the rim like he wants to murder it.
Indiana lacks small forwards and centers, and a package of Royce O’Neale and Nick Richards might get it done if they offer some cap relief and a couple of players who can step in and potentially start. Toppin won’t be back until February, but he seems like an intriguing fit with a team looking for younger and more athletic players. Not a perfect fit, but it would add some athleticism and height to the position. His contract? $14 million this year with two years left on it.
Swinging for the Fences
Jonathan Kuminga (GSW, 6’7”, 225 lbs, 23 YO)
Yeah, yeah, we’ve all seen this one before. But, Kuminga is in the middle of a miserable season on a miserable Warriors team that Coach Kerr admits is a “fading dynasty”. As a result, his asking price is likely dropping by the second as the team looks to move on.
With Royce O’Neale and Grayson Allen’s stock being relatively high and Kuminga’s at its nadir, perhaps it’s time to revisit this one? I could see Allen and O’Neale plugging seamlessly into a three-point-happy Golden State team that suddenly rediscovers floor spacing around Curry. Kuminga would fit in as someone who can keep in front of his man and rebound a bit better than O’Neale.
The biggest selling point to this trade is that both teams would likely improve on the court. The downside is that it would have longer-term salary cap implications for both. Kuminga will be looking for a payday this summer, and Golden State won’t get the salary relief of his team option.
Cameron Johnson (DEN, 6’8”, 235 lbs, 29 YO)
This may be the Suns’ best chance to bring back one of the beloved “twins” from the CP3 years. He’s injured, along with half of a Denver team desperately trying to avoid the Play-In. Cam has also been having a down year, and the Denver fans have been letting him have it with both barrels as a result: it’s looking like a failed experiment.
He has $44 million left over 2 years left on his contract. If Denver could get two healthy bodies out of a trade right now for a player who’s hurt and not fitting in, I think they’d be inclined to do it to avoid a first-round match-up with OKC. For Phoenix, getting back a fan favorite, three-point shooting, defensively solid wing in exchange for two relatively superfluous players (Allen, plus O’Neale or Richards) would be well worth it.
Bobby Portis (MIL, 6’9”, 250 lbs, 30 YO)
On paper, this looks like the best fit for the Suns. Portis is a defensive-minded, big-bodied, high-motor player whose temperament would fit in perfectly next to Brooks and Gillespie. He plays behind Giannis and Kuzma, and his salary swaps 1 for 1 with Grayson Allen, who would start immediately in a depleted Bucks backcourt. On paper, the Bucks would come out ahead on ppg, apg, and mpg played in the trade.
The problem is, Portis is one of those “heart and soul of the team” glue guys. The Bucks are 14-19 and clearly need to shake things up, and Portis looks like their best trade chip. Keep in mind that Allen was already traded AWAY from Milwaukee. However, Milwaukee fans remember him from better times in years past, and they might be okay with bringing back a known quantity.
Of all the trades here, I like this one the best for the Suns in terms of fit and “alignment”. I also think it is the one that the other team laughs at and hangs up if they make the offer.
Which player would you prefer? Why or why not?
