The Phoenix Suns continue to blatantly disregard their future by trading away future assets to try to win now, so why not add Anthony Davis to the mix? That pitch comes from Sam Quinn of CBS, who proposed a mock trade scenario sending him to The Valley on the Thrid Apron Podcast recently.
Davis should never be trade target for Suns
Quinn was trying to find a new home for Davis, saying the Suns could get a deal done if they parted with Khaman Maluach, Jalen Green, and likely a couple of other players to make the salaries work, in his opinion. But if they seriously considered that, it would prove owner Mat Ishbia has learned nothing from the failed Kevin Durant experiment.
Given the Suns' lack of future draft capital, they need young players with upside on their roster both to make them better in the coming years and in case another disgruntled star becomes available.
Davis would have qualified in that spot before, but he unfortunately cannot stay healthy enough to be worth investing in at this point in his career. In theory, he would form a deadly duo alongside Devin Booker, but the game has never been played in theory. If it were, Bradley Beal would have gotten the Suns over the hump and won them a championship.
Then there is the fact that the franchise already added an often-injured center in Mark Williams, who will miss a huge portion of this coming campaign with a shoulder issue. Duop Reath has been selected as a short-term solution, and he might actually be able to help with some of their spacing issues. He's not Anthony Davis, but he can be useful.
If the Suns could have moved their unprotected first in 2033, Green, and filler for Davis, then it would have become a conversation. Yet, they overpaid for Miles Bridges with that pick, while they are too close to the second apron to be able to take on Davis' contract straight up for Green. Not a good look for the front office.
Suns have badly fumbled future to be linked with Davis
It speaks volumes of the position the organization has put itself in that linking them with Davis is not as outrageous as it should be.
They clearly value win-now moves, which is why they went for Bridges and took on Green and Dillon Brooks when moving on from Durant. Adding Davis from a talent standpoint would help; only he's 33 years old and his body is not capable of playing an entire NBA season.
Head Coach Jordan Ott could work wonders defensively with him when healthy, but this is a case of the right player being discussed about six years too late.
Hard pass.
