Suns make yet another trade to improve their roster

With all eyes firmly on the Olympic Games in Paris at the moment, the Phoenix Suns surprised the league by making a trade on Monday. A move made all the more surprising by the fact that the player who they let go in the deal, had show modest flashes in Summer League.

The details of the trade were straightforward, and involved David Roddy departing The Valley for the Atlanta Hawks, with E.J. Liddell going in the opposite direction. This isn't even the first time Liddell has been traded this offseason, heading to Atlanta in the Dejounte Murray deal that saw him go to the New Orleans Pelicans.

This might look like a minor move on the surface, but it is another win for the Suns in what has been a productive summer to date.

As mentioned Roddy got some run in Summer League - and the results were worth talking about - but all it appears to have done is exactly what the organization needed. Namely rehabbing his trade value so as to be able to get anything in return for his services. Getting another project in Liddell is a win, because it was clear Roddy wasn't long for Phoenix.

Now on his third team since 2022, Roddy looks like he is going to struggle to stick anywhere in the league, and Atlanta might be his last stop. Liddell on the other hand might be 23-years-old, but the Suns likely talked themselves into the fact he was buried on a roster full of big forwards while with the Pelicans.

Yes the 41st pick in last year's draft only managed to play eight times in New Orleans as a rookie, but Roddy only managed 17 appearances after the Suns went out and got him at the trade deadline. Swapping out Roddy for Liddell is a low-risk move that could potentially pay modest dividends down the road.

It is also clear that the front office are loading up on younger players, with a view to perhaps flipping a number of them down the line for more veteran help. Being in the second apron makes that plan more difficult, although there is also every chance the franchise plan on keeping some of these guys around.

Young, hungry players could be exactly what the Suns need in 2024-25 through a long regular season. They might have won 49 games las time out, but the vibes did not always seem on point. It's hard to get Devin Booker and Kevin Durant locked-in when they're playing in Charlotte in November, while Bradley Beal likely won't be healthy enough to play a full season.

Yet all of a sudden the Suns now have Liddell, as well as three guys in Ryan Dunn, Oso Ighodaro and Jalen Bridges who can play across the front line. Given the obvious limitations of center Jusuf Nurkic - as well as the need to get bigger on the court - guys like Liddell make total sense for the direction the Suns are looking to go.

A clear win for the team then, even if Liddell ends up down in the G League some. Head coach Mike Budenholzer has a job on his hands to try and make all of these pieces fit, but at least they now have a pair of above average floor generals on board. Roddy for Liddell straight up? Why not.