Phoenix Suns Trade for Domantas Sabonis: The Draft Capital Route
This trade allows the Suns to keep all their main assets, but for those same reasons, also feels less likely for the Pacers to pull the trigger on.
As younger players with solid upsides, Saric and Smith once again bite the dust with this deal. Abdel Nader joins them as well, more so coming to balance things out financially rather than anything else.
Phoenix’s 2024 first round pick works as the real kicker for this transaction though. Assuming the Suns do not fall into the lottery the next two years, their next first round picks go to the Oklahoma City Thunder, requiring them to include their one from the following year instead.
Even with the Suns more likely to enjoy another solid year that season, consequently decreasing that pick’s value, a first round selection nonetheless carries significant weight, especially for a rebuilding team like Indiana.
But for the Suns, this exchange offers them their best chance to compete for a title immediately. They hold onto all their current impactful players, while simultaneously adding another one in Sabonis. Dealing out minutes between him, Crowder, and Johnson might become a tough task for Monty Williams, but carrying an excess of talented players is certainly a good problem to have.
However, this trade also brings more financial hardship to the Suns. By holding onto Johnson while also taking up Sabonis’s contract, they put themselves in an awkward position going forward, where they likely need to choose between Ayton or Johnson.
Theoretically, the Suns could swap several other role players to pair with their future first-rounder here. But to begin negotiations, Saric, Smith, and Nader strike as the most expendable assets to dangle as bait. They also may need to add another future pick, but that all depends on how desperate Indiana is to move Sabonis now.