Welcome to Trade Deadline Day. The deals are about to start flying, some impacting the Phoenix Suns directly, others in more subtle ways. Our team will break down every trade in detail, but this thread will serve as your running tracker, with the latest updates at the top. Keep checking back with Bright Side for a quick look at what the Suns have done and how each move affects the roster before the deadline at 1 pm Arizona time.
Any big trades will get the full deep dive soon enough, but until then,
consider this your one-stop shop for all things Suns at the deadline!
We will continue to provide updates throughout the week as trades that affect the Suns occur or rumored players that they’ve been connected to come off the board.
Refresh. Often.
Wednesday, 10:22PM: Yabu Traded
Update by John Voita
I know it’s no big deal, but Guershon Yabusele is off the board.
Why does it matter? Our own Pano wrote a great piece making the case for him, and if the Suns were to do a one-for-one trade, I wouldn’t have minded having him in Phoenix. Oh well. C’est ainsi.
Wednesday, 9:35PM: Yabu Traded
Update by John Voita
It is not Suns news, but it is Suns adjacent. Jonathan Kuminga is headed to Atlanta. All I can really say is good riddance.
We have had an interesting relationship with Kuminga since the summer. Mostly me, typing far too many words explaining why the Suns should not go down that road. So in that sense, there is some closure here. He is gone. The debate is over.
Then there is Golden State. Kristaps Porzingis to the Warriors is the kind of move that makes you squint. I do not really see how it helps them. Availability has always been the issue. He has played 17 games this season and has not been on the floor in nearly a month. Talent without reliability is a tricky bet.
This actually helps the Suns. They see the Warriors tomorrow night, and Golden State is going to be shorthanded. Buddy Hield is out the door in that deal. As I am typing this, Trayce Jackson-Davis is gone too.
So while none of this directly involves Phoenix, the ripple effects matter. Familiar faces are moving. Opponents scrambling. The board keeps shifting, and sometimes the best move is the one you did not make, while others are busy rearranging the furniture.
