The Phoenix Suns appear to have one of the bleaker outlooks in the entire NBA right now, but sophomore center Khaman Maluach's surging trade value is reason for optimism as it trails only that of Devin Booker and Dillon Brooks.
Rough market for centers increasing Maluach's value
After Booker (who they will never trade) and Brooks (who is still somehow undervalued), Maluach is the clear third option rival teams would be eager to add to their roster if he were made available.
This is both a positive and a negative. On the one hand, it shows the improvement that the 19-year-old has already made on the court. His emergence as a player who could push starter Mark Williams for his spot could see his value increase even more, while his inclusion in the Kevin Durant trade from the Houston Rockets looks better each day.
Yet, this also shows the worrisome lack of trade assets the franchise has at its disposal if they do decide to go in another direction. The former 10th overall pick remains a raw prospect, yet his value is clearly higher than that of Jalen Green right now.
The same is also true of Miles Bridges, whom the Charlotte Hornets somehow extracted a 2032 first rounder from the Suns for earlier this offseason. Oso Ighodaro and Collin Gillespie are both solid rotational players, but neither would fetch the Suns what Maluach could on the open market.
Ditto veterans Jordan Goodwin and Luke Kennard, which means that despite still not being a regular contributor, he is worth more to everybody else than 85 percent of the Suns' roster. Is it any wonder fans worry about Booker one day wanting to leave?
Maluach ensures Suns can have optimism about their future
What the former Duke big man really gives Phoenix at a time when they have precious little draft capital and a sticky cap situation is the hope that he can turn into something more. It is that same hope that other organizations would be buying, though it should not be for sale right now.
That is unless the right offer comes along that seriously increases the chances of Booker winning a championship with the Suns. In that case, the front office could field calls for Maluach.
He is rightly viewed as the third-best asset they have right now, and is proof that they know how to extract value from trades, having been on the receiving end of some horror deals in recent years.
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