Reassessing the three major Suns trades at the halfway point of the season

The last trade the Suns made was the only one that didn’t bring in a star. It was also completed just weeks before the regular season began, so there was a quite a bit of scrutiny surrounding it, especially concerning the switch from Ayton to Nurkić at center.

Surprisingly, it isn’t the headliners that swung this trade in the Suns’ favor, but the unsung addition of Grayson Allen. Allen has morphed into one of the best shooters and overall role players in the entire league. He’s the perfect fit next to the "Big 3" and if the Suns’ extend him, will be a core player for years to come.

Nurkić has been a phenomal rebounder and screen setter, while doing a decent amount of playmaking. His scoring and defense fall short of Ayton's, but the rest of the Suns roster has been able to hide those flaws. Most importantly, Nurk has seemingly put his injury issues in the rearview. His status as one of the few Suns to stay healthy has been invaluable to the team. 

That's been tough for Ayton to do on the other end of this trade as he’s been dealing with long-term nagging injuries for the first time in his career, missing 16 games already. Ayton’s scoring numbers are way down with less usage and no playmakers on the Portland Trailblazers, while his defensive and rebounding stats have seen a slight boost. 

Trading away a young player with Camara’s potential was a tough pill to swallow, but it's clear he's still finding his way in the NBA. He was a little less league-ready than advertised, and the Suns don't have time to wait around.

The book is less written on this trade than the others with the trade deadline looming and Allen’s contract status up-in-the air. There's a possibility that either he or Nurk could be moved, which could create some branches off the initial blockbuster. Right now though, this trade, like the others the Suns made, has been a win.