3 Trades for Phoenix Suns that Become Available Next Week

Phoenix Suns Trade Option: Dumping a Bust and a Pick for Torrey Craig

Nobody enjoyed watching the Suns let Torrey Craig walk this summer, but the team needed to focus on re-signing Chris Paul and sixth man Cameron Payne before anyone else. That opened the door for the Indiana Pacers to swoop in. They did just that, agreeing with Craig on a two-year deal.

But earlier this week, Shams Charania of The Athletic wrote a story about the increasing likelihood of the Pacers blowing their team up over the next few weeks to try and focus on the future. As a 30-year-old veteran, Craig does look applicable to that plan.

It makes sense for the Pacers to ship him away for younger talent, and if the Suns provide that, they easily bring him back to the desert.

Averaging only 5.1 minutes per game while suiting up for just seven contests to begin with, the Suns clearly possess no plans for Jalen Smith right now. But if the Pacers indeed want to rebuild, they might still feel intrigued.

At just 21-years-old, being a former lottery pick, and without a picked up rookie option, Smith resembles the ideal low risk, high reward prospect for Indiana to wield as a possible rebuilding tool. If the Pacers also end up trading Domantas Sabonis and Myles Turner, they simultaneously open up a hole for Smith to fill as well

With Craig coming back to Phoenix, his versatility along the block makes him compatible to this already fortified team. His locker room presence as an established veteran also carries significant weight.

But with the Suns having more or less presented Smith as a bust over the past two years, they need to attach some draft capital as a sweetener to push this deal through. A second rounder likely gets it done.