The Phoenix Suns made a surprising trade at the deadline, adding a pair of players in Cole Anthony and Amir Coffey whose trade value was certainly higher a couple of years back.
Giving up Nick Richards and Nigel Hayes-Davis was a fair price to pay, particularly as it gets the franchise under the tax for the first time since the 2021-22 season.
Arrival of Anthony comes two years too late
At this point it is unclear if Anthony or Coffey will even play for the Suns, or if they do suit up for how long, given they are out of contract this offseason.
So too are Richards and Hayes-Davis, which again highlights how this was a deal done with the cap sheet in mind more than anything else.
The addition of Anthony would have been ideal two years ago, which is the ironic twist in all of this. Back in 2023 we put forward the idea that he would be the ideal Suns point guard.
Feels like the key piece of info here in this Suns/Bucks trade https://t.co/KpibfnWhqf
— Valley of the Suns (@ValleyoftheSuns) February 5, 2026
This was during a period when Devin Booker and Bradley Beal shared playmaking responsibilities after the departure of Chris Paul, and the arrival of Tyus Jones last year did little to fix that.
Like Jones, Anthony is a little undersized defensively for the point guard position, although he has a ton more athleticism to make up for that. He has also never been short of confidence offensively either.
Really he would have been the ideal floor general either off the bench or alongside Booker/Beal in certain lineups, particularly as it would have given Kevin Durant extra space to operate.
Instead Anthony went from the Orlando Magic to the Bucks and got lost, while the Suns managed to do the unthinkable and completely revamp their point guard rotation.
With respect to Anthony, he's not getting any minutes over Collin Gillespie, Jordan Goodwin and Jamaree Bouyea and he shouldn't either.
Head coach Jordan Ott having turned them into a fiercesome trio, and it is hard to see where Anthony fits into all of that. Particularly defensively.
Perhaps he is given the opportunity to show what he can do for the rest of the campaign, but Phoenix has built excellent chemistry and won't want to ruin that.
To give Anthony some credit, he has always brought a great energy off the court and Magic fans missed that about him above all else.
So yes this is a move that financially makes sense, but the Suns needed Cole Anthony on the court for them during the Durant era. They have now moved beyond his skills.