Run of losses proves Phoenix Suns were right not to make splash at trade deadline

As the Phoenix Suns continue to sink further down the Western Conference - and with a 2-8 record in their last 10 games - it is hard not to look at the Golden State Warriors with envy. Not only did they shake up their roster at the trade deadline by adding a legitimate star, it was the very player the Suns had tried for weeks to add themselves in Jimmy Butler.

So desperate were the Suns and Butler for each other - likely because Phoenix was willing to give the 35-year-old the extension he was looking for - that at one point Butler effectively told every other organization in the league not to trade for him. The main stumbling block there of course was Bradley Beal's no-trade clause, and so a deal fizzled out.

We're here to tell you that was actually no bad thing.

Do the Warriors have a better chance at winning a championship than the Suns this year? Yes, but thay wouldn't exactly be hard. The Warriors also possess something that the Suns do not, and which made going after Butler a worthwhile venture for them. They have a generational star in Stephen Curry - and just as importantly - an identity and culture built around him and Draymond Green.

Butler was always going to come in and be the model teammate after his messy exit from the Miami Heat, but the setup in San Francisco made that easier to do as well. Contrast that with the Suns - and the altogether awful vibes that have been around this roster all season - and the same cannot be said for them.

Besides, the Warriors might have improved their odds of winning, but they're still not going to win. Which should be the main positive to take away from this if you're the Suns. One year from now we could well be talking about the Warriors being saddled with the money owed to Butler - plus his poor attitude - while they'll be a year closer to getting out from under Beal's contract.

So rather than quadruple down on older, established players, the Suns not getting somebody to come to Phoenix to play with Devin Booker and Kevin Durant was actually a good thing. They are not a Jimmy Butler away from winning it all, but they could have been a Jimmy Butler away from continuing on this nightmare path they decided to go down when they traded for Durant.

As it is the Los Angeles Lakers - who had a similar chance of success as the Suns prior to the deadline - outdid everybody else by getting Luka Doncic to Hollywood. The Suns can't compete with that - and although the whole point of this roster is to win now - it is time to accept that they won't and making another panic trade would only make the situation worse.

If you're starting Tyus Jones and Bol Bol in a game you have to win, what does that say really about how the season has gone? The depth doesn't exist in Phoenix - and although Butler surely would have solved some defensive issues and brought a better mentality - that should have been the final piece to the puzzle. Not the big of grit to hitch your entire championship dreams onto.