The Phoenix Suns have been silent ever since they made two minor trades on July 20th, but those trades show the team has a follow-up move in mind.
It’s been a full month since the Suns made consecutive moves with the Brooklyn Nets and Philadelphia 76ers, and not much has happened since then. But the two trades, when looked at together, make it likely that another move is coming.
First, the Suns shipped Jared Dudley and their 2021 second round pick (top 35 protected) to Brooklyn in exchange for Darrell Arthur, a move that saved them $2.1 million in cap room. Both guys are on the final year of their deal. It was initially reported the Suns would buyout Arthur, which still could happen but as of now has not.
They followed that move up by trading cash considerations to Philly for Richaun Holmes, who will make $1.6 million this season. And that’s where things get interesting.
Although the Suns were out of cap room after singing Trevor Ariza, they still had their $4.4 million room exception. If they wanted a backup center, they could’ve signed one.
Targeting Holmes for the backup five spot doesn’t make sense. He wasn’t even a lock to make the Sixers roster after struggling to get minutes as the third center in their rotation. He often looks lost on defense, and he was really only valuable as an energizer in occasional and limited bench minutes.
There are plenty of options still available in free agency, but instead the Suns decided to trade a second round pick to create enough cap space to acquire a borderline NBA player. The only explanation is that the Suns want to use their room exception on someone else.
By acquiring Holmes, they fill the role of backup center and maintain their ability to sign a free agent for $4.4 million. But they still haven’t signed anyone, which means they likely will in the near future. Otherwise, these trades don’t make much sense.
Maybe they have some targets, or maybe they just want to keep their options open. But it seems like the Phoenix Suns will bring in one more player before the start of the season.