The decision by the Phoenix Suns to trade both Grayson Allen and Royce O'Neale this offseason after preaching continuity was strange to say the least.
Taking Miles Bridges back in return, and also losing an unprotected pick in 2033 for good measure, made this deal seem even weirder. The duo will be missed, and in truth deserved more from their time in The Valley.
Allen & O'Neale should have been competing for rings in Phoenix
Both sharpshooters were added to the roster to create spacing around Devin Booker and Kevin Durant, and they mostly did that. As a package deal O'Neale was a little worse than anticipated defensively, while Allen actually overachieved in this area relative to expectations.
But thanks to injuries on the part of Allen and the experiment with Durant and Bradley Beal flat out not working, the pair never really played in a meaningful playoff game for the Suns.
A shame considering both were the exact kind of veteran you need to have in your rotation if you want to go on a run. Both could easily have swapped places with Landry Shamet on the New York Knicks as they won it all this season for example.
Prior to Durant being traded (a move that is surprisingly looking better by the day) Allen also made the ultimate sacrifice in giving up a starting berth so a real point guard in Tyus Jones could run the show. Didn't work, and it could have been much worse for Allen if he didn't also prove he can make an impact off the bench.
One year ago when the franchise waved the white flags and decided to take a step back, it was Allen and O'Neale who saw their championship window slam shut, despite never actually being open. Both were linked with midseason trades and we were no stranger to include them in mock proposals.
Still they played their game, helping youngsters such as Rasheer Fleming and Khaman Maluach in the process. Even Collin Gillespie owes some of his own success to playing alongside these guard/forward hybrids who defended bigger scorers and made a ton of open 3-pointers.
Heading to Charlotte doesn't exactly feel like just reward for all that they did in The Valley, although that roster sure is intriguing.
There will be no jerseys getting retired one day. You can forget about the Ring of Honor while you're at it.
But Grayson Allen and Royce O'Neale were even better than advertized and gave everything to the Suns cause when they were fake contenders and re-tooling around Booker. You can ask for no more than that as a fan.
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