The LA Clippers are not in a good place right now after receiving an incredibly severe punishment as a result of the Kawhi Leonard debacle, and the Phoenix Suns can offer them a way out of this mess by taking Darius Garland off their hands.
With no picks coming, Suns can offer young players in return
The Clippers won't see a first-round draft pick until 2034, so they have no way to add young, cheap players with upside. The Suns don't love holding onto future selections of their own (Miles Bridges is an upgrade but was an overpay), but they do boast both Khaman Maluach and Rasheer Fleming.
Is this too much to concede for a 26-year-old who has had some injury issues in the last 18 months? You bet, but isn't the whole point of having Devin Booker on this roster to try to win a championship?
Garland gets you closer while also ridding the franchise of Jalen Green in the process.
The Clippers would then be stuck with the former second overall pick, but they would at least have a sophomore center in Maluach, who showed flashes of the potential that made him a 10th selection a few months back at Summer League. Fleming is the sweetener, as he could yet top out as a legitimate two-way wing in the NBA.
If nothing else, it would give LA a pair of youngsters to invest some of their future in, which they could then flip down the road for another player or draft picks if required.
The Suns not including any draft capital of their own here is by design because they don't have much of anything. They do have a second in 2028 that they could add to the mix in place of Fleming to test the waters, but bad as the Clippers' situation is, they're unlikely to go for that.
Suns can land perfect point guard by exploiting Clippers
There has never been a better opportunity for Phoenix to land an All-Star-caliber point guard at a price they can afford. Better yet, it would finally given Booker a floor general to play alongside and would solve some of the space issues playing alongside Bridges and Dillon Brooks.
The cost is high, but the fanbase has yet to get truly attached to either young player. The price of centers continues to rise as well, and there is a risk that cashing in on Maluach at this point may backfire.
Yet, if the organization can get over giving away Toumani Camara, they would soon forget about Maluach. If keeping Booker in The Valley for the rest of his career is the plan, as it appears to be, he needs all the help he can get right now. Garland is a clear upgrade whom they must inquire about.
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