After appearing to finally learn their lesson by not making another big-swing trade ahead of the 2026 NBA trade deadline, the Phoenix Suns torpedoed the good faith they had garnered by trading for Charlotte Hornets forward Miles Bridges.
In addition to shipping sharpshooting wings Grayson Allen and Royce O’Neale (the latter of which coming off his best season in the NBA after making a career-high 212 3-pointers on a career-best 40.8% clip), the Suns also surrendered their unprotected 2033 first-round draft pick in the swap.
The Suns now have virtually zero draft capital to acquire young talents or to use in future trades, while significantly downgrading their outside shooting prowess as a team.
It’s no shock, then, that the Suns are getting skewered by trade grades in the aftermath of the deal.
Here’s a quick rundown:
CBS Sports gives Suns a D grade for Miles Bridges deal
CBS Sports’ Sam Quinn was no fan of the trade from the Suns’ side of things, noting Bridges is not a consistently high-level defender nor a good rebounder for his size and position, in addition to being the beneficiary of “The LaMelo Effect” — playing far better alongside former Hornets point guard LaMelo Ball than without him.
Quinn also notes the financial implications of the trade for Phoenix, who shave roughly $30M in luxury tax penalties but remain about $10.3M above the tax line regardless.
“Realistically, the Suns went from being a Play-In Tournament team before this trade to being a Play-In Tournament team after this trade,” Quinn wrote.
With a number of Western Conference teams improving their standing and the Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs remaining clear juggernauts atop the field, it’s unclear exactly how this addition helps the Suns make a meaningful leap forward.
And now the only first-round pick of their own that the Suns control is in 2032.
“The reward here was minimal, and the risk was monumental,” Quinn writes.
He graded the deal an “A” for the Hornets side of things.
Bleacher Report gives Hornets an A, Suns a C- for Miles Bridges trade
Bleacher Report’s Andy Bailey wasn’t much more favorable to the Suns than Quinn, handing out a C- grade for the Suns while, like Quinn, delivering an A grade for Charlotte.
Bailey notes that Allen and O’Neale were each tied for third on the team (behind Devin Booker and Collin Gillespie) in wins over replacement player last season. Neither was a star for Phoenix, but they were both clearly valuable role players who contributed significantly with their outside shooting chops.
Surrendering both of them, along with that 2033 unprotected first, for a guy who isn’t even a clear-cut No. 2 option next to Booker (while also being on an expiring contract) isn’t being viewed favorably around the league’s media landscape.
ESPN grades Suns Miles Bridges trade a D+
With a grade right in the middle of those from CBS Sports and Bleacher Report, ESPN’s Zach Kram joined the cacophony of voices skewering the Suns for this short-sighted trade decision.
Chiefly, Kram notes that the players who’ve been traded for at least one unprotected first-round pick this summer are Giannis Antetokounmpo, LaMelo Ball and Bridges.
“Antetokounmpo is a two-time MVP. Ball is a former All-Star and Rookie of the Year who's still just 24 years old. Bridges, meanwhile, is a 28-year-old forward who has never come close to making an All-Star squad,” Kram writes.
Oof.
The Suns are not only surrendering yet more draft capital that they can’t afford to lose, but they’re also overvaluing the guy they traded said pick for given the landscape of trades already completed ahead of this deal.
Mat Ishbia’s propensity to favor Michigan State Spartans may have forced him to overlook the track record for Bridges, which only gets murkier when you include off-court issues.
The Athletic’s John Hollinger labels Bridges trade ‘yet another shortsighted Suns move’
While he didn’t dish out a grade like the above, it’s fair to say Hollinger’s would have been an F for the Suns, provided he said this deal is now the worst of the entire offseason.
“Now that we have confirmation on the draft pick terms, the Miles Bridges trade to the Phoenix Suns surpasses Trae Young’s extension as the worst move of the offseason and shows that the Suns have learned nothing from their previous mistakes,” Hollinger wrote.
“For starters, obviously, the team that bellowed 'character above all' a year ago just traded for Bridges. But even if his off-court record were pristine, this is brutal work,” he added.
Yikes.
Hollinger goes on to call the trade an “impulsive” move in an effort to win now when the Suns clearly are not in a position to compete for a title now as presently constructed.
A number of Western Conference contenders are not only better positioned from a basketball standpoint, but also from an organizational standpoint by having draft assets to utilize or trade moving forward.
Hollinger also lampooned Suns owner Mat Ishbia’s clear bias toward Michigan State players (his alma mater), and it’s hard to argue that wrinkle didn’t cloud his judgement here.
Ultimately, GM Brian Gregory will be graded down the line for this move, but the early returns are understandably brutal for Phoenix.
If the team regresses from a surprising 2025-26 campaign, you can bet the criticism will get even louder than it already is in the immediate aftermath.
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