Top-10 Best Trades in Phoenix Suns History
By Adam Maynes
3. Trading Nash to Dallas for what turned into Marion
In 1998, the Phoenix Suns traded a future Hall of Famer for three scrubs and a 1999 first-round draft pick.
The future Hall of Famer was Steve Nash, one of three point guards on the roster at the time and the most expendable of the group. Playing behind Jason Kidd and Kevin Johnson, two possible Hall of Famers as well, by trading Nash, Phoenix was able to add a little depth to the front court while also collecting a future first-round pick – a pretty decent haul for a third-string point guard.
Pat Garrity, Bubba Wells, and Martin Muursepp were the three players that had come back in the trade, although only one would ever play a game in Phoenix. Due to the 1998 NBA lockout, Wells and Muursepp never once saw action for the Phoenix Suns, and seven months after their trade to Phoenix, prior to the start of the 1998-99 shortened season, each would be included in a trade for Bulls center Luc Longley. They never played for the Bulls either and both careers were over at that point.
Pat Garrity was a rookie when he joined the Suns and saw some time in Phoenix playing in 39 regular season games plus three postseason matchups, although his production of 5.6 points and 1.6 rebounds was far from impressive. The following offseason Garrity was part of the Penny Hardaway to Phoenix trade and spent his remaining nine seasons in Orlando.
With so little initial bang for the buck of trading Nash, what makes this trade the 3rd best in Phoenix Suns history was the 1999 first-round pick.
Selected 9th overall, Phoenix took a wiry, hyper-athletic, forward from UNLV named Shawn Marion. The small forward immediately ingrained himself in the starting lineup and never relinquished it for the entirety of his eight-and-a-half year career with the Suns.
Marion of course became one of the Suns’ all-time greats, a sure-fire Ring of Honor inductee and possible Hall of Famer as well. He is currently ranked in the top-five in minutes played, field goals made and attempted, 3-PT field goals made and attempted, points scored, steals, blocked shots, and rebounds.
In a twist of events, Marion would not have been a Phoenix Sun without the team trading Steve Nash, and Marion might not have been the all-time great Phoenix Sun, unless Steve Nash had returned.