Next Up Part 2: Who the Phoenix Suns should trade for
By Andrew Clark
D’Angelo Russell
Devin Booker and D’Angelo Russell have been tight for a long time. Based on that brotherly connection, you would have to assume that their fit on the floor together would be solid. Both can move the ball and both can spread the floor.
The Nets have done more with nothing than any team I have ever seen. I know they love Russell, but in their path to rebuild adding more talent and assets makes more sense for them than hanging onto and overpaying Russell when he will likely want to leave Brooklyn to play for a more competitive team.
The Nets have a chance to be the players in free agency for the next few years. The only expensive player they have on contract after this year is Allen Crabbe, and the only one they will have next offseason is Russell.
If the Suns take on Crabbe’s contract and give the Nets a few more young assets to attract free agents, they could do some real damage in the open marketplace. If I were McDonough, I would offer something like:
Crabbe would be an excellent – albeit overpaid – role player, however at the moment the Suns really don’t have any role players and every good team has a few. Russell, of course, would be the star of the return for Phoenix, would make for a really fun offensive pairing with Booker. Book is probably losing his buddy Tyler Ulis this offseason, and he won’t be getting his other boy Karl-Anthony Towns in Phoenix, so if a swing for Russell is possible, McDonough might want to make that happen.
Of course the Nets get a little bit better in the front court with Warren and Marquese Chriss, while gaining additional cap space this offseason when Troy Daniels and Jared Dudley‘s contracts come off the books. A first round pick helps to bring it all together.