Dec. 15 marks then first day newly signed players can be traded from the Phoenix Suns.
The Phoenix Suns now have the ability to make trades involving players signed this past summer.
Newcomers such as Chimezie Metu, Bol Bol, and Drew Eubanks can officially be hovered in trade discussions along with Grayson Allen’s $8.5 million salary.
The Suns are still handicapped in terms of the scale of trades they can make due to a lack of draft capital and the majority of the minimum contract players being seen as having lower value across the league.
Nonetheless, young players such as Metu and Bol, along with a Nassir Little or Allen could potentially get Phoenix an under-the-radar player that fits the vision of James Jones/Frank Vogel.
Here are three players Phoenix could target and what the parameters of a trade may look like:
Torrey Craig
Is a reunion between the two sides imminent? Unlikely.
However, it’s a legitimate question if Phoenix made a mistake in letting the veteran forward walk yet again.
Craig has cooled off after a blazing start to the season, and Chicago is an absolute train wreck that could end up deciding to sell by the time the trade deadline comes along.
It also can’t be overstated that Craig has considerable camaraderie with franchise player Devin Booker. That truth could become a big factor in potential playoff series in the future.
Craig’s price would presumably be low and he would almost certainly be at least a lateral move compared to pieces such as Keita Bates-Diop/Yuta Watanabe.
The trade: Bol Bol, 2028 second round pick for Craig
Delon Wright
This has been a name that has been floated around as a potential option for Phoenix in the past as recently as three weeks ago.
Bleacher Report named Wright as one of three dream trade targets for Phoenix, citing his extensive experience as a steady ball-handler off of the bench.
Wright’s price would likely be low as well, as his performance hasn’t been stellar and the Washington Wizards are yet another team whom is a train wreck this season.
The main road block would be salary matching, as Wright’s salary comes in at over $8 million this season- Grayson Allen/Nassir Little are the only available trade pieces who could match that money in a one-for-one swap.
Phoenix is not giving up Allen OR Little for Wright.
The Suns would need to be creative here to get a deal done.
Potential trade: Yuta Watanabe, Bol Bol, Keita Bates-Diop for Wright, Patrick Baldwin Jr.
JaVale McGee
Yet another familiar face could be a welcome addition to this Suns squad that has aspirations of holding up the Larry O’Brien trophy in June.
McGee possibly enjoyed the most productive season of his career in Phoenix in 2021-22, playing his way into a 3-year, $17 million dollar contract with Dallas in the summer of 2022.
McGee had trouble finding footing in Dallas and was released this summer before finding a new home in Sacramento.
The fact that McGee is on a division rival that’s also competing for a playoff spot makes it unlikely he finds his way back to Phoenix, but the last two weeks have made it evident that the Suns need a third center that can play physical defense and rim-run.
Potential trade: Keita Bates-Diop for Javale McGee
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