We get it. No, really, we do. The 2026-27 NBA season is nearly a month old, and already several teams are hovering over that panic button. Bleacher Report have put together a list of the 10 players who should be trade targets for other teams, and Paolo Banchero can be found at number two. The Phoenix Suns are named as a potential landing spot, and we are here to tell you that is never going to happen.
Magic would be crazy to give up on Banchero for what Suns can offer
Banchero is a former first overall pick, although he is not without his faults. After a rookie season that had shades of LeBron James thanks to that tank-like frame, at this point he is not even the best player on his own Orlando Magic roster. That would be Franz Wagner, but Banchero is still only 23 years old and has already shown in a playoff series that he can single-handedly win you a game.
Would the Magic be foolish enough to give up on Banchero? They have to do something to shake up the malaise that has sat over their franchise since Dwight Howard skipped town, and he is surely available at the right price. Only the Suns don't have anything that would interest the Magic to come to the table, and that would include Devin Booker.
The value of Jalen Green and Miles Bridges has never been lower, and although Dillon Brooks is the guy rivals should want to extract from Phoenix, he is either a floor-raiser or the final piece to a championship puzzle. The Magic don't currently occupy either of those spaces, and although Brooks would help their culture and become their defensive lynchpin, he could never be the main piece going to Orlando for Banchero.
The Suns don't have the draft picks to get a deal done either, while a combination of Khaman Maluach, Koa Peat and Oso Ighodaro likely wouldn't even land them Jalen Suggs. Ryan Dunn is a player who could thrive with the Magic, but his mini-renaissance rightly wouldn't move the needle. The idea of Banchero in Phoenix is amazing; he would be a massive upgrade over Bridges and would make their entire starting five make sense as a group. Which is why it will never happen.
Banchero idea highlights Suns' continued need for frontcourt help
What Bleacher Report has managed to do in naming Banchero here is remind the Suns how much help they still need across their frontline, despite adding Bridges. Grayson Allen is a miss who is thriving in Charlotte, but his absence should not be felt this much.
Domantas Sabonis of the Sacramento Kings feels like a more realistic option at this moment in time, although he would not fix the glaring defensive issues this roster has. It is cool to dream about Banchero or any number of bigger names coming to play with Booker and lift the Suns back towards contention, but it unfortunately remains a dream for now.
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