The aftermath of the Phoenix Suns acquiring Bradley Beal and Kevin Durant leaves them with little to no versatility for avenues to upgrade the roster at the NBA trade deadline next Thursday.
This further stresses the importance of Phoenix threading the needle when it has a chance to do so. The Suns nailing one of their upcoming first-round picks would be a game-changer, and so would swiping a low-priced, in-season addition on the trade or buyout market.
They have to be smart about how they maneuver with what few assets they have left. To use Grayson Allen as an example, if he continues to play anywhere near the level he has for the first half of the season, he has suddenly become a cornerstone player Phoenix should lock in across the foreseeable future. Four months ago when the trade went through, he wasn’t standing out when compared to the other two players the Suns acquired in exchange for Deandre Ayton.
Phoenix’s process with this trade deadline will not only boil down to adding a rotation piece for this run. It will also focus first on players who either are under contract beyond this season or the Suns have a realistic chance at retaining in free agency.
What are the odds that happens? Low. Here’s why, while also exploring why it would be shocking if Phoenix did nothing at all.We could entertain the possibility of the Suns trading Allen and what he could fetch, but even if the perfect 3-and-D wing was out there, Allen has been so good that it still probably wouldn’t make sense to do. There is a semblance of a foundation beginning to form in regard to an identity for this new Suns team, and Allen is firmly implanted in it.
Originally posted on NBA Analysis Network
By Jake Rogers | Last updated 2/1/24
Kevin Durant scored 33 points and contributed eight assists in his first game back in Brooklyn since his trade to Phoenix, leading the Suns to a 136-120 win during Wednesday’s NBA action.
Durant’s return to Brooklyn was met with a mix of cheers and boos, but his performance with the Phoenix Suns quickly silenced the crowd. He expressed satisfaction in quieting the crowd, especially after receiving a mixed reception.Kevin Durant scored 33 points and contributed eight assists in his first game back in Brooklyn since his trade to Phoenix, leading the Suns to a 136-120 win during Wednesday’s NBA action.
Durant’s return to Brooklyn was met with a mix of cheers and boos, but his performance with the Phoenix Suns quickly silenced the crowd. He expressed satisfaction in quieting the crowd, especially after receiving a mixed reception.
“I love to shut the crowd up. Even though I love these people here, I love to shut them up,” Durant s
