3 Trade Deadline Mistakes the Phoenix Suns Must Avoid

Phoenix Suns Potential Mistake: Taking on a Large Contract

The Suns are sitting on a ticking time bomb when it comes to their finances, needing to re-sign Deandre Ayton this summer and with Cameron Johnson’s extension eligibility coming up at the same time.

With Paul’s new deal on top of the extensions for Bridges and Shamet set to kick in, bringing back both Ayton and Johnson will be difficult to begin with, so with that considered, it makes very little sense for them to pursue anyone at the deadline with a fat contract. Such players will either become impossible to retain past this year, or force Phoenix to let Ayton or Johnson walk free, which nobody wants.

This means trading for players like Domantas Sabonis, Eric Gordon, or Jerami Grant should not become a primary objective for the Suns at the deadline.

Although this plan to generally stay away from pursuing any blockbuster deals admittedly feels boring and not something to get you out of bed in the morning, fans need to remember Phoenix’s situation right now even aside from their finances.

Making big, sometimes even desperate moves is something borderline championship teams do when trying to reach that next level. By no means do the Suns fall into that category. They remain a well-positioned title favorite, and just need to recognize that.