Phoenix Suns: Lowe and Herring identify 3 big man trade targets

The Phoenix Suns aren’t short of center options on their 2022-23 roster, but the rotation behind Deandre Ayton remains somewhat up in the air heading into training camp and the preseason.

While upgrading from a player like Bismack Biyombo may be a worthwhile exercise, it’s unlikely to be at the top of the Suns priorities at this stage. Still, it may be worth monitoring certain names as the season progresses.

Three big men have been identified as potential Phoenix Suns trade targets, but would they actually provide the necessary value given Deandre Ayton’s presence?

Zach Lowe was joined by Sports Illustrated’s Chris Herring on a recent episode of The Lowe Post, with the pair discussing a plethora of names as the Suns aim to upgrade their roster. Of much intrigue was their conversation on Phoenix’s big man stocks, that despite re-signing Ayton, Biyombo, trading for Jock Landale, and regaining Dario Saric from injury.

With the Indiana Pacers entering a rebuild mode, Herring views Myles Turner as a potential option despite him having been a starter for the majority of his NBA career.

"“He’s a guy that I think about when upgrading from someone like Saric who could be a four or a five for you if he needs to be…he does that and he’s a good enough three-point shooter.”"

The theoretical idea of Turner as a stretch big and interior shot-blocker is fantastic, however he’s reportedly been on the trade block for multiple years and no one has yet made a move for him. While he could play next to Ayton for some periods, the lack of perimeter defense would likely prove a major hurdle to Turner playing upwards of 25+ minutes per game.

Herring also identified Wendell Carter Jr. as a possible option who, like Turner, could play minutes at both the power-forward and center positions. The 23-year-old is coming off an impressive season with the Orlando Magic, averaging 15 points and 10.5 rebounds in nearly 30 minutes per game.

"“He stretched out his perimeter game a little bit.. I feel like you saw hints of what he could be last year, and if you’re putting him on a good team where he doesn’t have to do all that much, he could probably shine a little bit more”, Herring said."

Lowe joined in on another of Herring’s possibilities, agreeing that the Atlanta Hawks’ John Collins would be a worthy look. The 24-year-old has been a productive player throughout his career, yet often finds himself involved in trade discussions.

"“Not happening right now, the Hawks aren’t trading John Collins…We get 40 games into the season and it’s not going right and there’s a godfather offer on the table…”, Lowe said."

While these are all nice names who could have an impact for the Suns, they’re all starting caliber players for a team who is set with a young, improving starting big. It’s highly unlikely Phoenix would give up the required assets to get one of these players, knowing they’d be headed for a reduced role in contrast to what we’ve seen from them in recent seasons.