The NBA trade deadline feels like a night out with the “wolfpack” from The Hangover film franchise—wild, unhinged, yet still terribly fun. But as the league’s best team right now, even boasting a 43-10 record, the Phoenix Suns might be better off omitting from this year’s mid-season festivities and keeping to themselves instead.
While sinking teams like the Los Angeles Lakers, Brooklyn Nets, Washington Wizards, and Portland Trailblazers currently find themselves involved in trade rumors with every player from James Harden to Davis Bertans, things remain smooth and stoic in the Valley. With no team looking better positioned to win it all right now, Phoenix’s sense of urgency to improve is naturally quite low.
However, the Suns are not entirely out of the jungle when it comes to trade deadline craziness, with some analysts naming them as suitors for Domantas Sabonis and others looking at Eric Gordon.
Of course where there’s smoke—there’s fire. But it still remains to be seen how interested Phoenix’s front office might be in either player.
But no matter what happens, the Suns will not be the ones sweating over the phone this week. Instead, they get to sit calmly at their desk, letting their phone ring all day long, and only calling back those who leave the most intriguing voicemail messages.
So with Phoenix less inclined to make a deal at the trade deadline this year than most others, why not take a trip down memory lane and check out how they have fared around this fateful time of year in the past few seasons?