For years, the Phoenix Suns have been trying to build around Devin Booker. They just made a big-time deal for Miles Bridges. But unfortunately for the Suns, this feels like a repeat of the Kevin Durant deal. At least, in the sense that it could go very, very wrong for the Suns in the long run.
When the Suns traded Durant, they shipped out pieces that ultimately fit better alongside Booker: Mikal Bridges and Cameron Johnson. In the Bridges trade, they did the same by trading Grayson Allen and Royce O’Neale (two guys who are much better three-point shooters than Bridges). Plus, the Suns gave up good draft capital in both of them.
The Bridges trade is a bad one.
Miles Bridges trade is bad for the Suns like the Kevin Durant deal was
Rewind back to the Durant trade. The Suns were trying to build back up to the point where they could make an NBA Finals again, so they traded for an all-time great.
Durant is undoubtedly one of the best scorers (and players) in the history of basketball, but his fit next to Booker just didn’t work out. Having two ball-dominant scorers alongside each other didn’t end up working out.
Not only did Phoenix have to end up flipping him a few years later, but it also gave up significant draft capital in the deal. It was a mess, and they could have just kept Bridges and Johnson.
If the Suns still had Bridges and Johnson next to Booker, they would probably be in a better spot. Those two guys are great role players, the former of whom just won an NBA Championship as one of the most important pieces on the New York Knicks.
Now, take a look at the Bridges trade. The Suns traded away Allen and O’Neale, both of whom are solid three-point shooters who fit nicely alongside Booker.
In return, they got a guy who has been on the decline for the past few years, isn’t a great shooter, and is entering the final year of his contract. And the Suns gave up their own unprotected 2033 first-round pick.
Why would they give up two players who fit well next to Booker for a player who really doesn’t? That makes no sense. It’s similar to the Durant deal, but for a worse player.
Bridges is nowhere near the caliber of player as Durant, yet the Suns made a very similar mistake in the trade. This is a mess of a deal.
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