How did the Phoenix Suns do at the 2019 NBA Trade Deadline?
With the Suns not doing much during the 2020 NBA trade deadline, we need to jump one extra year to zero in on their next biggest splash—which revolved around point guard Tyler Johnson.
Coming over from the Miami Heat, Johnson joined the Suns with Wayne Ellington, who was cut a day later. The Heat took on Ryan Anderson and his massive contract, also cutting him during the following summer.
Although Johnson was fun to watch when healthy for the Suns even with the team struggling largely during his tenure, this exchange more so came as a cap-clearing agreement between each team, as the Suns needed to dump Anderson’s contract and the Heat no longer wanted to pay Johnson either.
After he missed 27 of his first 34 shots with the #Suns, tonight's 29-point performance easily was Tyler Johnson's best since he was acquired from Miami -- which he'll face next. pic.twitter.com/welC8IFx8Q
— Bally Sports Arizona (@BALLYSPORTSAZ) February 24, 2019
Both the Heat and Suns find themselves thriving today, but the Suns surely won this deal when you look at it for what it was. While Johnson has been off of Phoenix’s books for years now, the Heat are still paying Anderson to this day, set to dish him out $5.2 million this year.
The Heat have done well despite that though, which makes this less lopsided than it might look on paper. But regardless, this trade was an early win that helped the Suns start building their current regime, as it cleared space for them to sign Ricky Rubio and Kelly Oubre Jr. the following summer, both of whom were eventually traded for Chris Paul.
Grade: B+