The Phoenix Suns have already made some massive changes to their roster this offseason, but they likely aren't done yet. Once Bradley Beal is officially bought out, the franchise will have more flexibility than at any time during the Kevin Durant era to make trades in order to improve their team, instead of relying on the veteran's minimum alone to try and get deals done.
Yet when that does happen, fans are going to be hit with a reality that they are not going to like. Right now the three most likely trade candidates in Phoenix are Grayson Allen, Royce O'Neale and Nick Richards. Three veteran players who are surplus to requirements in The Valley thanks to the youth movement taking place under the front office.
Value of that trio of players is nowhere near what Suns fans think.
Although all three of the above players can certainly do a job for a contending team in the league, what the Suns would get back for any of them is underwhelming. You need only go back to the Deandre Ayton deal - a former first overall pick - and see that Allen himself ended up being the best player the Suns got back, to realize how bad this could end up being.
Jusuf Nurkic was the headliner in that deal, and he was a disaster. At this point Allen's value has dipped after an excellent first season in Phoenix, while O'Neale is 32-years-old and a step below the truly elite 3-and-D guys in the league today. There's a reason Ryan Dunn is going to excel with the Suns next season, and it's because he is a younger and longer version of O'Neale with more upside.
Similarly with Allen, next season is his last under contract if he doesn't pick up his player option the year after. At this point he would be crazy not to, but think about how quickly two years passes by in the league. Durant was in Phoenix for two full seasons, and the Suns didn't win a single playoff game when they had Allen spotting up around him and Devin Booker.
Richards might be in the toughest spot of all, but not for the reasons you think. The Suns have gone all in on rookie big man Khaman Maluach, and they also traded for Mark Williams at the draft as well. With Oso Ighodaro having bulked up to the point he too could play some minutes at the five, rivals know that Phoenix would love to move on from Richards and get something of value back for him.
Suns’ centers Mark Williams and Nick Richards in the building to support Phoenix’s Summer League squad 🧡 pic.twitter.com/ERTzms3rFO
— Jerry Donatien (@JerryDonatien) July 12, 2025
He had some nice moments when he arrived from the Charlotte Hornets at the deadline - but when compared to the flat-footed Nurkic - the bar was pretty low. He's a backup center in this league at a time when there appears to be an influx of new big man talent in the NBA. Not an ideal market place if you're trying to add a rotation player for his services.
Suns fans need to prepare for this, while also accepting at least one of these three guys will start next season on their team. This roster still needs veterans - and although they will be able to stack salaries together once Beal is gone - that doesn't mean anybody is going to want to take them. Makes the prospect of this guy on the cheap all the more appealing.