Royce O'Neale's future with the Suns is painfully obvious

The Phoenix Suns will be bringing back a much younger roster for the 2025-26 season - and with winning a championship no longer on the agenda - that means a need for less veterans on this roster. Obviously Phoenix still needs some old heads to show the youngsters how it is done, which is one of the reasons Dillon Brooks is going to be so valuable in The Valley.

But with three rookies and a pair of second year guys in Ryan Dunn and Oso Ighodaro all needing minutes to grow - not to mention new recruit Jalen Green as he tries to become an All-Star for the first time - there are not going to be enough minutes to go around. All of that competition, and we haven't even spoken about the depth at the point guard position. No thanks.

Suns will look to move Royce O'Neale before trade deadline.

Which is why Royce O'Neale is going to end up becoming the odd man out in Phoenix. Right now the Suns have two guys in O'Neale and Grayson Allen who have a lot of similarities, including the fact they're elite 3-point shooters and are both still under contract for years to come yet. O'Neale is three plus years older, and that fact is important here too.

As the trade deadline approaches next season, another team is going to talk themselves into believing they're one shooter away from winning it all. The Suns themselves were once guilty of this, adding Terrence Ross in the hopes he could stretch the court in the playoffs to help this team win games. Even though that didn't quite happen, O'Neale is an upgrade over Ross.

The reason it will be O'Neale leaving and not Allen, is because he makes less money and can also be acquired for less too. The front office in Phoenix have done a nice job of making the most out of second round picks in the last few years, with previous selections including Ighodaro, Koby Brea and even Toumani Camara.

It's also possible O'Neale politely asks to be moved in order to try and win a championship, although he has always appeared content in The Valley and is liked by fans. The cost for his services? A first round pick - even one later in the draft - appears unlikely, unless a rival gets really desperate. A pair of second rounders could get the job done, or perhaps another youngster who hasn't worked out yet.

The Suns simply don't have any need for O'Neale long-term, that went out the window when Kevin Durant left town. He's the kind of guy who excels next to stars and doesn't need the ball to have an impact, which is no longer what the Suns are trying to do. He'll be gone by the deadline next season, and his time in Phoenix will be remembered fondly.