Suns' dream trade deadline target just suddenly became available

The Phoenix Suns have been exactly who we thought they would be so far this season, losing some winnable games but also pulling out victories against better opponents. In other words they're a rebuilding outfit, although in Devin Booker they have a superstar that ensures they don't have to sink to the bottom in order to rise again.

What Booker needs now is a co-star to help get the Suns back to the playoffs, and Jalen Green might just be that guy. A more intriguing option has seemingly become available, the kind of All-Star level talent that generally doesn't come to Phoenix in free agency. At only 26-years-old, they are on a similar timeline to this current Suns' roster as well.

Ja Morant is an unexpected and interesting option for Suns.

Right off the bat there's more reasons to stay away from Ja Morant than there seemingly is to trade for him. He's not an elite 3-point shooter and he certainly doesn't defend at a high level. The off the court stuff is what it is, and the manner in which he is heading for a public breakup with the Memphis Grizzlies would seem to be another reason to stay away.

But the Suns are being hypocritical if they would have traded for Jimmy Butler at the deadline last season - and they really wanted to - when he was in the process of publicly seperating from yet another organization in the Miami Heat. It is fair to point out that Butler has a playoff pedigree that Morant could only dream of, but the fact is he too didn't act brilliantly to escape South Beach.

Which is why trading for the star might not be as outrageous as you think. The cost to acquire him has never been lower, and some combination of Grayson Allen, Royce O'Neale, Nick Richards, Oso Ighodaro and perhaps even Ryan Dunn plus a couple of picks could get it done. Dunn had himself a moment versus Victor Wembanyama recently, but his inconsistencies still frustrate.

His inclusion shouldn't hold up a deal, while Morant would also fill a position of need for the franchise. Booker has done an amazing job so far of both playmaking and scoring, while Collin Gillespie has been on fire, but Morant would represent a more long-term option at the position who would also help them win now.

The real wildcard here is owner Mat Ishbia, who in the past has made some win now moves that have backfired. He's gone quiet since media day and said all of the right things about building this thing from the ground up, but the unexpected availability of Morant will surely test his resolve. The franchise is no longer operating in the second apron, and so can get a deal done.

Whether they should or not is another debate, and certainly the Suns have quickly built an identity and base around their younger players plus Dillon Brooks and Mark Williams. Morant would also appear to be the kind of personality to avoid at this stage in their development. He is talented and could speed up this rebuild though, which makes it worth having a conversation about.