The Phoenix Suns plan on making Jalen Green a core building block, but it won’t take long for that plan to backfire. Green is not a lead ball-handler and remains a questionable fit next to Devin Booker. The Suns believe the 23-year-old can make a significant leap, but they will be thoroughly disappointed by the time the calendar flips to 2026.
Green averaged 21.0 points, 4.6 rebounds, 3.4 assists, and 0.9 steals in 32.9 minutes per game last season. He played in all 82, but shot just 42.3 percent from the field. His career-high 35.4 percent from 3-point range was heartening. The Rockets were the second seed in the Western Conference with Green as a starter, but he is a score-first option with significant warts.
The Suns do not have the infrastructure to cover for Green like the Rockets did. His subpar defense, lack of shooting, and inefficiencies will pop more on a struggling team. Phoenix will be near the bottom of the West standings and ready to trade Green before the deadline.
Suns will instantly regret trading for Jalen Green
Phoenix plans to start Dillon Brooks and Mark Williams next to Green. That is three subpar shooters in the same lineup, and it could be four if new head coach Jordan Ott decides to open with Ryan Dunn. There will be zero room to operate inside the paint, which will further tank Green’s efficiency.
Teams will hunt him on the other end of the floor. The Rockets finished fifth in defensive rating last season, but they were six points per 100 possessions worse when Green was in the game. For context, they would have finished second in the non-Green minutes and 14th when he played. The Suns were 27th in defensive rating last season and just added another subpar option.
To make matters worse, Green is owed $105.8 million over the next three seasons, with the final year being a $36 million player option. The market is not valuing score-first, inefficient guards. Look no further than Cam Thomas still being a free agent and players like Jordan Clarkson being available via buyout. Finding a trade partner may prove difficult.
The Suns have nobody to blame but themselves. They had multiple offers for Kevin Durant and chose the Rockets deal. Phoenix wanted control of their 2025 lottery pick, which was used to select Khaman Maluach. It meant taking on Green and Brooks to make the math work.
Green is now a key piece for the Suns, who makes around 21 percent of the salary cap. They don’t have assets to trade, so the franchise has to make it work. That will continue to blow up in their faces.
The Phoenix Suns have a bleak future, and it only gets worse if Jalen Green is unable to blossom into an All-Star. Owner Mat Ishbia deserves all the blame. The Suns still owe several draft picks from the Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal trades, despite neither player still being on their roster. The pain is just beginning, and the Suns have nobody else to blame.