No matter the sport, everyone wants their favorite team’s GM to turn into Billy Beane from that trade deadline scene in Moneyball at least once or twice each season, fearlessly cutting deals and fleecing opponents left and right. For the Phoenix Suns, those responsibilities fall to James Jones, who will be asked to “shake things up” himself sooner rather than later with the NBA’s February 10th deadline rapidly approaching.
But for Jones, this is not some Hollywood movie asking him to pull off a few dramatic stunts that inspire an audience. This is real life—managing an actual team, and a darn good one for that matter.
Rather than going gung-ho like in the movies or doing what the various online mock trades might recommend, sometimes sitting back and neglecting to make any brash decisions represents the wisest thing to do around the trade deadline.
Although not the most exciting mindset to have by any means, it applies to Phoenix better than anyone else right now. Currently boasting the league’s best record, by no means do the Suns need to add any more players before the embargo kicks in.
At the same time though, the Suns cannot just take their phones off the hook and board up their doors for the next few weeks. It would be equally as foolish for them to disregard all trade offers as it would be for them to pull the trigger on something that feels like a force.
Finding a happy medium between both those ideologies, the Suns must proceed with caution as trade season hits its peak and avoid these three potential mistakes.