Has the Phoenix Suns’ contending window closed for good? Now that is an interesting question that could take us in plenty of interesting directions. Their crushing loss to the Dallas Mavericks in last year’s playoffs, to go along with choking away a 2-0 NBA Finals lead against the Milwaukee Bucks in 2021, appears to be strong evidence that this Suns core has already reached its peak.
However, it is truly difficult to count out a team boasting the services of Devin Booker, Chris Paul, and even Mikal Bridges, who has stepped up big time amid Booker’s absences. Thus, despite their uneven play this season, they may very well be a pulse remaining in the Suns’ title hopes – that’s if they are able to keep up in the congested Western Conference playoff picture with Booker still out due to groin injury.
But they should know better than to leave anything to chance, especially with the title race as wide open as it currently is. To the Suns’ credit, however, it looks like they’re more than willing to make some moves to help them navigate what’s looking like the most crucial stretch of their season (thus far). But for the most part, the Suns have only been involved in trade rumors that would, at best, bring back marginal upgrades that wouldn’t necessarily shake up a team in need of new life.
In particular, the Suns have reportedly expressed interest in Charlotte Hornets forward Jalen McDaniels and Houston Rockets forward KJ Martin – solid, young pieces, but hardly transformative in any way.
Meanwhile, the reported offers the Suns have received for Jae Crowder have been far from inspiring, the latest of which includes a bunch of fodder bench pieces from the Milwaukee Bucks.
With Chris Paul in the twilight of his career, the Suns need to go big. Why not shoot for the stars and go for OG Anunoby with the NBA trade deadline looming?
Here’s the perfect trade package the Suns should offer to the Toronto Raptors for the 25-year-old 3 and D forward.
Suns trade Jae Crowder, Dario Saric, 2023 PHX first-round pick, 2025 PHX first-round pick, 2027 PHX first-round pick to the Raptors for OG Anunoby
OG Anunoby’s price in a potential trade has been a huge point of contention in NBA circles. Do the Suns really want to pay a premium of three first-round picks for a player with a grand total of zero All-Star appearances, whose skillset is more complementary than heliocentric, and for someone who doesn’t have the cleanest bill of health ?
However, in the NBA, it’s difficult to acquire something valuable without giving up something valuable in return. And the Minnesota Timberwolves’ trade for Rudy Gobert this past offseason only served to inflate trade prices. And that was in exchange for someone whose weaknesses (as great as his strengths may be) teams can exploit in the postseason. (See Utah Jazz vs Los Angeles Clippers, 2021 postseason.)
Teams acquiring OG Anunoby wouldn’t run into any of those problems. Anunoby, a 6’7 forward, is defensively versatile and is impossible to play off the court when it matters most unless the Monstars sap him of his ability to put the ball in the hoop. And for a team looking to boost their championship odds after two straight years of playoff heartbreak, a team like the Suns would be hard-pressed to find a player available for trade with as much playoff viability as Anunoby.
As for the Raptors, it looks like it’s only a matter of time before their dominoes fall. If a team matches their asking price for Anunoby, then why wouldn’t they pull the trigger, especially with reports stating that they have made all members of their core apart from Scottie Barnes available for trade?
The Jae Crowder and Dario Saric return, quite frankly, is uninspiring at best. However, the Raptors could perhaps funnel Crowder into a third team for more draft picks.
The big win for Toronto would be, of course, the draft pick haul. It’s unclear for just how much longer the Suns would remain as one of the league’s strongest teams. Chris Paul is already 37 years old, while Deandre Ayton hasn’t quite blossomed into the game-changer the Suns hoped he would become when they drafted him first overall. And as the Suns have shown this year, without Paul and Devin Booker in the lineup, they looked like one of the worst teams in the NBA. The Raptors could be in business by then.
Nevertheless, contending windows rarely arrive. Thus, contending teams take risks.
Imagining a defense with Mikal Bridges and OG Anunoby pestering the opposition should be the stuff of Suns fans’ dreams. Anunoby would also give the Suns another weapon to throw at stars such as Luka Doncic, Kawhi Leonard, and Steph Curry come postseason time.
And if the Suns could swing a trade for Anunoby without giving up sweet-shooting forward Cam Johnson, then that already looks like a huge win, draft pick risks be damned.
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