Trade talk is heating up throughout the NBA, and the Phoenix Suns have found themselves mentioned since restrictions lifted on certain players being traded on December 15th. The most common deal brought up that involves The Valley? Jimmy Butler leaving the Miami Heat to head to Phoenix.
Despite this being a near impossibility to pull off - Bradley Beal would also have to agree to the trade as he has a no-trade clause - the Suns continue to get brought up by Shams Charania of ESPN. Then again, this is the organization that has landed not only Beal against all odds, but both Chris Paul and Kevin Durant prior to that.
The Suns do have other players they can make deals with.
They're far sexier names - and two of the three here are on minimum deals - but that's not the point. As the season has unfolded it has become clear this trio need a fresh start elsewhere, and the Suns getting something back in return would be the icing on the cake. Look for their names to get brought up as we move towards the deadline in early February.
3. Bol Bol
This one is as obvious as it is sad, but the Suns have outgrown Bol Bol. He's a ton of fun to watch and has tried to give some spark offensively when he has been used - which is sparingly - but it is clear head coach Mike Budenholzer doesn't trust him. Which is ironic given he's a more open-minded offensive coach than last year's leading man, Frank Vogel.
With hindsight we can now see that coach Vogel both had less tools to win games, and also was fighting an uphill battle because of injuries to Beal. This meant he had to turn to Bol in desperation - and although he gave the team something around the Christmas period last year - it didn't last.
If we're being honest, the Suns aren't going to get much of anything back for Bol. But given he's rarely going to play anyway - and certainly not in the postseason - why not see if a rebuilding team is willing to part with a minimum player of their own and see if they can earn a couple of minutes later in the campaign.
The organization took a punt on Thaddeus Young in the buyout market last season - and although that didn't work out - you at least understood the logic. Bol is at his best when he's playing for a team going nowhere anyway - like the Orlando Magic during his tenure there - and he gives fans something to cheer about. A limited market worth exploring.
2. Monte Morris
Monte Morris is the most obvious name that you would expect to appear here, but also one who has a lot more value around the league than Bol. He's also on a minimum deal, but at least can be trusted to run second units and have a spot in important games. It is just unfortunate that this version of the Suns doesn't need him, when last year's did more than anything.
This time out however the franchise has Tyus Jones - who quite frankly has been incredible so far - while Royce O'Neale and Grayson Allen also eat up a lot of the backup minutes across the guard and wing spots. Whenever Beal is healthy, which to be fair is never a given, he's obviously going to jump Morris in the queue as well.
It says it all then that - despite the Suns having some injuries to this point - Morris has averaged just over 12 minutes a night across 20 games. He's been healthy as well, so it is not like he's spent a lot of the time not playing on the treatment table. We said it at the time, this always felt like the Suns went for Morris, then Jones fell into their lap on a minimum and they no longer had a real need for him.
He's an incredible luxury to have - but if he can't get a consistent role with the Suns missing a few players as they have at times so far - then he's never going to. If Jones went down that would be a different story, but it is better to see what can be gotten for Morris instead, so that he can provide more run for another team elsewhere. The right trade for his services is out there.
1. Josh Okogie
The time has come for the Suns to move on from Josh Okogie, and that's the reason they brought him back in the offseason anyway. He's making $8 million this season and next - although that second year is non-guaranteed and he can't actually be moved until after January 15th - and they now need to execute this play and get something back in return.
Okogie started the season with a hamstring injury, but forced his way into the rotation once he was healthy again. He had some nice moments too, particularly on the offensive end where he showed that he's capable of giving a group with lofty ambitions some juice on any given night.
The defensive end is where he's made his name however, and his ability to slow down elite scoring wings is what should entice other teams. The ironic part of that however is that this is the very skill the Suns are likely looking for in the trade market. But that logic shouldn't they just hold tight with Okogie then, and see if he can help?
Much like Morris though - even when the team are down a couple of bodies - it doesn't seem to impact the role of Okogie all that much. The organization also has a rookie in Ryan Dunn that it clearly has high hopes for as well. If he's the long-term solution, better to see if they can sell on Okogie while he has any value at all, and see what they can get in return.