The NBA trade deadline is still months away, but a rising tide of trade rumors is already putting the thought of possible blockbuster deals to the forefront.
The Phoenix Suns continue to outpace expectations with first-year head coach Jordan Ott getting buy-in from his players. So it’s unclear at this stage what the front office will decide to do.
It’s entirely possible, after past blockbuster trades to acquire Kevin Durant, Bradley Beal, and Mark Williams, that the Suns could look to recoup draft picks by like Grayson Allen and/or Royce O’Neale before the deadline passes.
Each guy has thrived under coach Ott in the early going as 3-point threats who could slot in and help any NBA team looking to acquire them.
But what if the Suns look to retool as buyers once again?
The rumor mill is already churning with big names. Could the Suns get involved to find a different complement to Devin Booker?
Point guards Ja Morant, Trae Young, LaMelo Ball all involved in trade rumors
As laid out by Jake Fischer for The Stein Line (subscription required), big-name NBA point guards could be available for the right price.
For LaMelo Ball, though, who’s already shot down reports of a trade demand away from the Charlotte Hornets, rumors may be premature.
“One source said it was way too soon," Fischer wrote about Ball’s trade candidacy. “Another source passed along that the Hornets might eventually reach a point before the Feb. 5 trade deadline that they decide to seriously field offers for the former All-Star guard but echoed the notion that we're not there yet.”
Fischer notes that Marc Stein wrote in his recent around-the-league notebook that, “Ball is right there with Memphis' Ja Morant and Atlanta's Trae Young in terms of teams eager to see whether he becomes truly available on the open market.”
At this stage, it certainly seems like the Ball trade rumors are more just wishful thinking from rival GMs seeking to acquire the talented young point guard. Phoenix recently engaged with Charlotte on a trade that sent young center Mark Williams to the Suns, so maybe that prior working relationship can help them kick the tires on whether Ball is or is not available closer to the deadline.
Of course, Ball is already showing some worrisome signs in a limited sample size this year. Through 10 games played, he’s shooting a woeful 28.6% on 3-pointers and 39.3% from the field overall — both career lows. With a rookie extension that pays him more than $200 million and keeps him under contract through the 2028-29 season, rival GMs want to see Ball’s numbers trending up or stabilizing. The career-high 38.9% shooting from deep during Ball's All-Star sophomore campaign feels more like an outlier with each passing season.
Meanwhile, Morant is a name that seems far more likely to get moved ahead of this season’s deadline.
He’s a two-time All-Star and Rookie of the Year winner who has shown flashes of brilliance as a slashing guard who forces the issue offensively. But Morant’s off-court issues, injury troubles (he’s out with a calf injury at the time of writing), and a recent on-court run-in that caused Dallas Mavericks veteran Klay Thompson to call Morant a “funny guy” who “has a lot to say all the time, especially for a guy who rarely takes accountability,” is a tough look.
Spinning those negatives into a positive, though, Morant’s status as a malcontent jeopardizing his professional career no doubt lowers his trade stock for suitors, right? Memphis may be incentivized to move on from Morant at a discount simply to avoid future headaches.
That being said, the Suns have been cruising on culture and good vibes in 2025-26 under Ott. Jeopardizing their own locker room culture they’ve spent years trying to cultivate makes a Morant-Booker team up seem more like an NBA2K strategy than a real consideration, no matter how talented Morant clearly is when healthy and engaged.
That leaves Young, who’s somewhat of a middle ground between the two previous point guards.
He’s ironically the oldest of the trio, albeit not by much. Young recently celebrated his 27th birthday (Morant is 26).
Like Morant, he’s also sidelined with injury (sprained MCL in his right knee) and has been limited to just five games played this season. Young didn’t play in Atlanta’s Nov. 16 come-from-behind victory against the Suns.
The Hawks are 2-3 this season in games Young played in, and one of those wins occurred when Young played just seven minutes before being sidelined with the knee injury. They’re 9-4 at the time of writing without Young, but that record includes wins against doormats like the Utah Jazz, Sacramento Kings and New Orleans Pelicans.
Still, if Atlanta’s front office likes the look of their roster without Young in the picture, he’s certainly a candidate who could be moved via trade. He's under contract through this season and has a player option for 2026-27. That short-term upgrade chance with long-term financial flexibility could be appealing to the Suns' front office.
A four-time All-Star who excels at dishing out assists to his teammates while scoring in bulk, Young could be a solid fit next to Booker on paper. However, Young’s propensity to cough up the ball — he’s averaged at least four turnovers per game in all but his rookie season — and reputation as a below-average defender raise red flags. Phoenix as a team has already struggled with turnovers this season (24th in the league at the time of writing), and Young could hinder a lot of the defensive progress the Suns have made under Ott and his staff.
If the Suns are looking to upgrade their point guard slot, the elephant in the room remains: Phoenix doesn’t possess the draft capital that would likely be needed to acquire said All-Stars. If a trade is going to require a return of solid players plus picks, the well in Phoenix may have already run dry.
But should the Suns even consider making another big-swing trade at this time? It's fair to say the Suns have outperformed expectations thus far, and that's despite the fact that Jalen Green — the big name coming back in the Durant blockbuster — has been sidelined for all but five quarters of action this season.
In effect, the Suns can continue discovering what they have with the current roster and treat Green's return from injury as an in-season trade acquisition (without having to give anything up). That also doesn't mention the blossoming we're seeing from Collin Gillespie, who could be in the conversation for Sixth Man of the Year Award at season's end.
New Suns general manager Brian Gregory is in a challenging spot, so fans will have to wait and see what he decides to do for Phoenix’s short- and long-term prospects.