After a quiet 2026 NBA trade deadline that suggested the Phoenix Suns learned their lesson from previous big swing-and-miss trades, the Phoenix front office undid that progress by trading for Charlotte Hornets forward Miles Bridges.
That deal followed moves to re-sign free agents Collin Gillespie, Jordan Goodwin and Mark Williams, which initially seemed to hint the Suns were ready to run it back with a (hopefully) more healthy roster.
Instead, the team has been totally retooled by shipping away 3-point sharpshooters in Grayson Allen and Royce O’Neale for the bruising power forward Bridges, while adding first-round draft pick Koa Peat (neither of whom are reliable outside shooters).
As things stand, the Suns starting lineup will likely be Devin Booker, Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks, Bridges and Mark Williams. But if the Bridges blockbuster is any indication, the Suns may not be done reworking the roster just yet. If they keep looking to address the roster in trades, the Kevin Durant deal may yet continue to branch out and evolve.
Could Jalen Green hit the trade block for the Suns after Bridges deal?
Green, who was acquired along with Dillon Brooks and No. 10 pick Khaman Maluach in the KD trade, remains the most logical trade piece the Suns possess.
Green spent the majority of his first season in The Valley on the injured list with a recurring hamstring injury, playing a career-low 32 games. On that basis, it may be worth it for the Suns to see what they actually have with Green in the fold for more of the 82-game grind, but the early returns were not overwhelmingly positive.
The Suns were 28-22 overall without Green, and finished 17-15 when the former No. 2 overall draft pick logged minutes. Again, not a huge sample size either way, but it’s not a great sign that the Suns had a worse winning percentage with Green than without him.
So, it stands to reason: Could the Suns change their tune and put Green on the trade block?
Green and Booker have a similar score-first mentality out on the court and create a bit of a dueling banjos situation when they’re playing together. That only gets more convoluted when Dillon Brooks is also in the fold as another ball-dominant scorer who really blossomed in that role during his own debut in front of the Phoenix faithful.
Swapping Green for a pass-first floor general to slot in alongside Booker, Brooks, Bridges and Co. would create a more cohesive rotation that defers more to those three scorers.
It’s possible the return in the KD trade could continue to morph via the Suns flipping Green in another deal. With former Memphis Grizzlies All-Star Ja Morant’s trade value dropping like a stone in a lake — and the Murray State product having his own off-court baggage, which clearly wasn’t a dealbreaker for owner Mat Ishbia in the Bridges deal — the Suns still seem like one of the few logical landing spots remaining for his services.
With Morant’s trade value in the basement, the Suns may have enough leverage in negotiations to recoup draft picks in a deal to get him out of Memphis. ESPN’s Vincent Goodwill has already reported that teams are asking for draft compensation to take on Morant (and his contract).
Unfortunately, unlike MLB and the NFL, teams are not permitted to “eat” parts of a player’s salary to facilitate a trade. So Memphis couldn’t offer to pay a big portion of Morant’s remaining salary (roughly $87 million over the next two seasons) to send him to The Valley.
Nonetheless, Morant has a prior working relationship with Brooks from their time together on the Grizzlies. If the Suns’ brass feels they could be the beneficiaries of an All-Star-caliber renaissance from Morant in a change of scenery scenario, he’d fill a clear need.
Any Morant acquisition would come with inherent risk, but the Suns opting to trade an unprotected 2033 first-rounder for Bridges already shows they’re willing to gamble the future for the present.
Even if Morant isn't a target on the Suns' wishlist, Green's fit on the current roster (or lack thereof) could mean he'll join Allen and O'Neale on the way out before the offseason is complete.
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