The Phoenix Suns are going to be in no position to add a co-star for Devin Booker this offseason, but that won't stop media members and fans alike creating trade rumors.
Among those names that are going to pop up consistently as being available and on the move are Julius Randle of the Minnesota Timberwolves, with the Suns on paper looking like an ideal next destination for the bruising forward.
Randle to Phoenix noise won't stop all offseason long
Even though owner Mat Ishbia has said several times he is committed to taking the long-term approach to building a winner, that won't stop Randle being mentioned as an ideal trade candidate because his player profile fits their roster. Sam Vecenie and Bryce Simon of the "Game Theory Podcast" certainly think so, back again with more Suns related trade ideas.
It is not their first this week.
Turning this into a three-team deal to make it all work financially and shipping Jalen Green out of The Valley in the process has also been talked about, and it is true that it is a trade that works in this era of a hard cap and a pair of merciless aprons.
But there is still no reason for the Suns to seriously entertain such a deal, although that won't stop Randle's name being mentioned. How he's supposed to play alongside Dillon Brooks is a question nobody appears able to answer, while the 31-year-old is just coming off a poor playoff showing for Minnesota.
That's the only reason he is available in the first place, the Timberwolves needing to change key parts of their roster having reached their ceiling. Randle is rightly being billed as the fall guy, but why the Suns would have an interest in picking him up and paying him big money is anybody's guess.
When you're an organization that has no more outs (thanks again Bradley Beal) then you will be linked with any underperforming star. Particularly when it is no secret that a rebuild is not on the horizon and Booker needs all the help he can get to compete.
But Randle is clearly the wrong former All-Star to go after, despite what anybody else thinks. The style of play and fit are all wrong, as well as having some overlap with Brooks. A player coming off a career year who will want an extension before long and is currently eligible.
Not this summer, not ever.
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