Phoenix Suns: James Jones must be stirring something thicker

Less than a week till training camp, the Phoenix Suns are yet to make the game-changing move that many fans expected to see. On Thursday, their most heavily linked trade target, Bojan Bogdanovic, was taken off the table as he was dealt from the Utah Jazz to the Detroit Pistons.

On the surface, the Pistons package was underwhelming and could have easily been toppled. The combination of Kelly Olynyk and Saben Lee seems heavy unders for a player of Bogdanovic’s stature.

After missing out on Bojan Bogdanovic, fans must be questioning the motives of James James and the Phoenix Suns front office.

While fans may have growing frustration at the lack of changes, it could be an indication of a bigger, more dramatic move on the cards. Someone like Bogdanovic may have been a nice upgrade, but it was no guarantee of catapulting Phoenix back to the NBA Finals.

Trading for a player of that calibre subsequently subtracts from a potential package for someone else further down the line. Who could that someone else be? The Suns have been recently linked to Oklahoma City Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, while they could also be holding out for a time where Kevin Durant truly becomes available.

That’s the issue in a nutshell though – you can’t sit on your hands and do nothing awaiting a hypothetical scenario that may never materialise. Doing so places you in a period of stagnation, and that’s certainly not an optimal position when you want to contend for an NBA title.

Suns fans may have trouble overcoming the fact that Bogdanovic seemingly could have been had without giving up a first-round pick. Combined with the team’s current issue of Jae Crowder, and upgrading him to Bogdanovic appeared like an easy move that wouldn’t have compromised their future flexibility.

General manager James Jones faces a tough balance of pulling the trigger on the right player for a win-now move, while also evaluating what star players may be available over the next 12 months. For the moment, it seems like the latter is taking priority.