The Arizona Cardinals pulled off a trade the Phoenix Suns never do
The Arizona Cardinals traded for DeAndre Hopkins in a deal the entire internet thinks is lopsided. It is the kind of trade the Phoenix Suns never make.
The NFL news mill dropped a bomb on Monday when it was announced the Arizona Cardinals traded David Johnson to the Houston Texans for DeAndre Hopkins. It was the kind of trade that, had it been made in fantasy football, I would have vetoed it, and the kind of trade that never happens for the Phoenix Suns.
Part of the reason the news reverberated around the sports world so resoundingly is that the sports world is otherwise at a complete stand-still. However, even if that weren’t the case, this is a blockbuster trade and for once, it wasn’t the team from the Valley that got fleeced.
Hopefully, for the Texans sake, Johnson proves to be the franchise runner he at one point showed he was capable of being. However, there is little doubt Hopkins will continue to be a star.
John Gambardino tweeted he heard rumors of the running back swap this weekend but didn’t believe it because the trade was so absurd.
It reminded me of a report that when the Phoenix Suns offered TJ Warren and a second-round pick to the Indiana Pacers for cash considerations, the Pacers front office thought it was a joke.
Insert disgruntled emoji here.
In an attempt to replicate the lopsidedness of this trade to its Phoenix Suns equivalent, I took a long look at the Suns’ roster and determined there is no equivalent.
The problem is the Suns don’t have someone like David Johnson on the team; someone who was great for a year or two but then struggled since, whether it be due to injuries or something else.
The closest I could come up with would be recently-departed Tyler Johnson IF he was one of the best guards in the league a season or two ago. You know, the caliber of player his contract might make you believe.
This season, Johnson got infected with the forgot-how-to-be-a-viable-NBA-player disease and spent most of his time with the Suns on the bench.
Then, let’s imagine the Trail Blazers, for reasons unknown, thought it would be a good idea to trade Damian Lillard for this fictionalized version of Tyler Johnson.
That is how lopsided this trade is, but even in this scenario, it requires reenvisioning Tyler Johnson as a one-time star player.
It is the kind of trade a Cardinals fan might put on Twitter only to see his comments suffer a swift and violent death. It is also the kind of trade that never happens for the Phoenix Suns.
Just once, I’d like to see a Woj bomb come through like, “The Minnesota Timberwolves trade Karl-Anthony Towns to the Phoenix Suns for Cheick Diallo and a tin of Altoids.”
Honestly, at this point, I’d settle for any kind of reasonable, fair trade that would get Devin Booker some more help. Instead, James Jones let the trade deadline come and go without making a move, then waived the aforementioned Tyler Johnson, whose contract gave the Suns the largest chip in years.
We will now have to wait until this offseason to see what kind of trades, if any, the Suns cobble together. Hopefully, it won’t involve finger-pointing laughter, but if it does, let’s hope those fingers are pointed at the other team.
Next. Spencer Dinwiddie has an idea that would put the Suns in playoffs. dark
Until then, move over Deandre Ayton. There is a new DeAndre in town.