With the trade deadline occurring this Thursday, things are beginning to heat up around the league. Buyers, sellers, rumors, and leaks. It’s a whirlwind week filled with all of the above. The Phoenix Suns are right in the middle of it all as they attempt to increase their chances of bringing a title to the Valley of the Sun for the first time in their 55-year history.
The Suns sit at 29-21 through 50 games, which puts them on pace to win 48 games. Per Basketball-Reference, the team has a 75.3% chance of making the playoffs. Their highest probable odds for seeding? A 26.9% chance of slotting into the 7th seed, which would mean that they are hosting a Play-In Tournament Game.
That is the “why”. Why the Suns are looking to improve their roster, even if on the fringes. The top-heavy build has them needing production from the non-starters, and up until this past week, they weren’t getting it. Therefore they are looking into options to acquire at the trade deadline to help push them over the proverbial hump.
We’ve talked about Royce O’Neale from the Brooklyn Nets, Jae-Sean Tate from the Houston Rockets, and Miles Bridges from the Charlotte Hornets. Their being linked to the Suns fortifies the previous reports that Phoenix is interested in acquiring an athletic wing.
New names are surfacing in rumors which gives us more insight as to who and what Phoenix is looking for. HoopsHype is reporting that the Suns are interested in Dorian Finney-Smith, Isaac Okoro, and Andre Drummond.
Let’s look at each of the players and see if the fit is right…and if the money makes any sense.
Dorian Finney-Smith
6’7”, 220 lb.
2023-24: 42 GP, 28.8 MP, 9.1 PPG, 4.8 RPG, 1.4 APG, 41.2 FG%, 38.3 3PT%
Contract: $13.4 million ($14.4 million in 2024-25, Player Option for $15.4 million in 2025-26)
Finney-Smith certainly meets a need for the Suns. That “athletic wing” mold that they’re looking for is personified by DFS, as he is someone who plays with length and can knock down the three-ball. He’s started 31 of his 41 games in Brooklyn this season and you see him slotting into the Suns’ starting lineup with ease if called upon.
