Suns have perfect Plan B after failed pursuit of Jonathan Kuminga

The Phoenix Suns will have a different looking roster spearheaded by Devin Booker for the 2025-26 season, although one trade they have failed to get over the line to this point is Jonathan Kuminga of the Golden State Warriors. There was definitely interest there, but the Warriors appear reluctant to part with the 22-year-old for the packages currently on offer.

If the rumors are to be believed, from the Suns' perspective that was Grayson Allen, Nick Richards and four second round picks. Hardly the kind of deal to get another organization excited. The Warriors likely feel that holding onto their own draft pick for now makes sense, which would force the Suns to pivot to a different kind of young player with upside to target.

Jeremy Sochan is the forward the Suns need to push for.

On the surface this might not make sense, but two key factors mean this could be more likely than you think. The first is that the Suns may actually have some players that could interest his current employers, the San Antonio Spurs. They are ready to win around Victor Wembanyama, and more 3-point shooting would surely help their cause.

Unfortunately for the Suns, this isn't as simple as trading either Allen or Royce O'Neale straight up for the 22-year-old. Both provide the kind of spacing the Spurs need, but that wouldn't be a fair trade. Those four second rounders that were offered to the Warriors? You can bring them back onto the table.

The franchise would also have to give up a young player with some upside of their own, and Oso Ighodaro might just fit the bill. Yes this would be trading a forward for a forward, although while Ighodaro can play at the five, Sochan has been deployed as a point guard in Texas in the past. The results were underwhelming, but it is at least something we have seen before.

The other element at play here is the fact Sochan is entering the final year of his rookie deal. The Spurs might be inclined to pay him and bring him back, but they've also got to give deals to Wembanyama, Stephon Castle and incoming rookie Dylan Harper. All-Star De'Aaron Fox is on this roster, and so too is Devin Vassell.

Which is a long-winded way of saying Sochan is not the priority in San Antonio right now, and moving on from him before having to make a decision on him long-term might be what the Spurs are thinking. For their part the Suns recently did this with Mark Williams of the Charlotte Hornets. The organization that drafted him opting to move on from the center before having to offer him a bigger contract.

Sochan isn't as injury-prone as Williams, and he's proven he belongs in the league while with the Spurs. But how much he helps them win games and climb the standings as soon as this coming season is unclear. The Suns are suddenly on his timeline, and that could be the best place for him to grow. Taking the role that was envisioned for Kuminga could work out for everybody.