As the days roll on, the discussion on who Phoenix should trade for continues to rise at a rapid rate. With most fans wanting to see some change to this team, something will have to give. Even if Mat Ishbia preached keeping most of this team, there will be some turnover within the roster. Just how big will that be?
That is the real question no one has the answer to. As fans mull over who the team should pursue, they really do not know what kind of upgrade they are looking for. Is it a big splash or on the margins?
Only time will tell what Brian Gregory and Mat Ishbia decide to do, but in the meantime, let’s discuss the possibilities they can make this offseason.
The latest article in this series looks at a different position than the previous one, even though the team has an abundance of guards; a shakeup could be necessary for the team’s best direction.
Now, there has been no linkage to Dejounte Murray wanting out, or even to the Pelicans wanting to move off him, but the writing is basically on the wall. With the Pelicans looking to develop their young players, there’s really no spot for Murray. If Jeremiah Fears is their future, they need to invest in him, not Murray. He is also out of the timeline the Pelicans want to be in. He is older, and even if their front office THINKS they can compete, it is clear they are further behind than they evaluated them to be in the Wild Wild West.
Hence, even if he is not “available” at this second, I do think he will be off this Pelicans team, as he will want to be on a team that is competing. Does this make sense for the Suns to pursue? If so, how could they get it done?
How could it get done?
Looking at Murray’s contract, there are multiple ways the Suns could look to acquire the point guard, though I think there are two realistic options. For starters, he is owed $63.5 million over the next two seasons, with a near-$31 million player option next season. That means it would either require Jalen Green’s $36 million deal or a combination of Grayson Allen’s and Royce O’Neale’s contracts to reach right under $30 million.
Which would make the most sense?
I can see both of them getting the job done, but one is better than the other. With the Green contract, you fully swap a guard for a guard, messing with the continuity a bit but getting a better fit around Devin Booker, your star player. Not only that, but it then leaves you the remaining assets in Royce O’Neale and Grayson Allen to either keep or to get the size you need in the front court to compete against their Western Conference opponents.
If you trade Allen and O’Neale for Murray, you do find a guard replacement for Green, but then have to sell on him. With the league then knowing the Suns need to move off Green, the low-ball offers will come streaming in. For a guy already on a 72M contract that most front offices are scared to look at, it will not help the Suns get a beneficial return.
Therefore, I think the first option is the best for all parties involved: a Green for Murray swap.
Why does it get done?
Suns
This is a significant change from the previous renditions in this series. As noted in those three, I said there should not be a deal. Here I stand on my ten toes and state that the Suns should pursue this one, and I believe the Pelicans would be interested as well.
For starters, let’s evaluate this from a Suns perspective, as I truly do think that adding Murray would be a positive for this team. Even if Murray has been injured recently, like the previous names discussed, this one is a bit different.
He suffered a ruptured Achilles tendon in the 2024-2025 season, which kept him sidelined for most of the year as he only suited up in 31 games. He then recovered for most of this season, allowing him to return healthy for 14 games. With the Pelcians having no sense of direction, either, this was a good thing for the betterment of his career. Besides these two seasons, though, the guard has played fewer than 65 games only twice: once in his rookie year and in 2018-2019, when he tore his ACL in the preseason.
These serious injuries could be scary, especially since one happened recently, but in his short time back with the Pelicans, Murray seemed to have it still. Even with a small sample size of 14 games, he averaged 16.7 points, 5.4 rebounds, 6.4 assists, and 1.6 steals on 48/31/87 shooting splits. The guard would also help the Suns and fit their style.
Similar to Jrue Holiday, who was written about earlier this week, Murray would complement Devin Booker in many ways. This would allow Booker to return to his true position as a shooting guard and give him help with playmaking and ball-handling duties. He is also a solid defender and has a 6’ 10” wingspan, allowing him to use his length to create some big turnovers for the Phoenix defense.
For someone who started his career with the San Antonio Spurs, who believed in a defensive identity and culture, this would easily translate for Murray in a scheme with Jordan Ott at the helm. Murray would bring fear to opponents on the offensive end, alleviating pressure on Booker to hunt his own shots. Murry would also be a solid ball handler and playmaker who could help initiate the offense with Booker on the court, but with either Collin Gillespie or Jordan Goodwin alongside him, too.
The age may be a factor for some of these other players I said no to trading for, but with Murray, it’s not as glaring an issue. Yes, he will be turning 30 and getting older, but he is not at the age of Jrue Holiday or Anthony Davis. Nor is he said to be looking for a max contract like one of those guys is.
One of the best parts as well is that the Suns save money in this deal, a little under 4M that could be used to help bring back Gillespie and Goodwin while arguably finding a better fit for the roster and direction.
In review, he is everything the Suns could look to add in a point guard that will not disrupt the ability of Devin Booker to get touches still or attack the shots he wants. Murray, with a solid defensive frame, fits the identity the franchise wants to pursue on defense while not being a long-term detriment, given his age and salary.
Pelicans
Now, here comes the difficult part: convincing the Pelicans to do this deal… Ha, you thought I was being serious? The Pelicans’ front office is widely regarded as one of the most dysfunctional in this association. After their trade for Derik Queen at the draft, giving up their unprotected first-round pick for this season, they thought they were going to compete in the playoffs. Unfortunately for them, they did not even make the Play-In, so they had to hand over a lottery pick to the Atlanta Hawks.
This shows me that Joe Dumars and Troy Weaver, the two in charge over there, have no idea what is going on, and it was clearly evident this season. They still believe they can build around Zion Williamson and continue to make those comments even after this year. Both Trey Murphy III and Herbert Jones, arguably their two most valuable players, remained on the roster when teams were willing to trade for them. The Pelicans are trying to find their path, but keep struggling to get there or even establish a true star for their squad. Since Zion has been injured, they haven’t been able to jump-start the rebuild, and the process has been ongoing.
That is why I believe the front office will take this deal. They would see Jalen Green as adding a former number two pick, who has the potential to be a guy for them, pairing him with Zion and their lot of players to try and push for a deep playoff run. Green helped get Phoenix there this year and showed up in the playoffs. That’s a strong buying point for Dumars and co to decide to want this deal.
Not to mention that Green would be a better fit next to Fears, allowing the young guard to get the keys to himself as PG instead of competing with Murray. The Pelcians also get younger, taking on the 24-year-old who still has the potential to change his narrative in this league. Green could bring some much-needed rim pressure and work well paired with offensive hub Derik Queen.
Ultimately, I can see the Pelicans taking on Allen and O’Neale as well, thinking those role players would get them to make the play-in, but that is something I see Phoenix declining, rather than going with a 1-for-1 swap.
Final Thoughts
That said, I am not shipping Green for anyone. There are very few guards I’d consider it for, and Murray happens to be one of the only ones that are going to be “available” to do so.
So what would you guys do if you were the Suns? Would you consider a deal for Dejounte Murray if he wanted out, and do you think that either of these deals could get done? Your thoughts are more than appreciated, and I hope you have enjoyed the new series on Bright Side so far!
