Suns get last laugh after Lakers trade falls through leaving them short

The rivalry between the Phoenix Suns and the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA's Western Conference is a very real thing, it is just a shame it is lopsided in the direction of Hollywood. The two franchises have played out some entertaining games and even playoff series down through the years, but it is generally the Purple and Gold who have come out on top.

Which made the trade deadline a difficult one to swallow for the Suns. Not only did they fail to convince Bradley Beal to leave town, but it was Kevin Durant's name that was instead in rumors in the final hours of player movement. Jusuf Nurkic was jettisoned to the Charlotte Hornets, but at the cost of a first round pick and at a time when it doesn't help this team get any better.

The Suns did get some measure of revenge with a failed Lakers trade.

Despite adding Luka Doncic at the altogether discount rate of Anthony Davis - who has already left a game with an injury - plus Max Christie and a first round pick in 2029, the Lakers weren't done there. They instead turned their attentions to the Hornets - who the Suns had done two deals with themselves having added Nick Richards - in hopes of getting their own big man.

That would be Mark Williams, who is exactly the kind of center the Suns would love to have, but who they could not afford. Instead the Lakers were able to offer rookie Dalton Knecht, Cam Reddish, their 2031 first round pick and another pick swap to the Hornets for Williams. In other words, pretty much everything else that at the very least should have been in the Doncic deal.

That quickly changed however - and after the deadline passed no less - with Williams failing his medical for his proposed new team. Even worse from the perspective of the Hornets, Williams didn't fail on account of his back, which has given him trouble in the past. While the Lakers get to keep a nice shooter - albeit older rookie in Knecht - they are now without a true center.

Which is a similar position to the Suns, who had a scare in their recent loss to the Denver Nuggets with Nick Richards exiting the game with an apparent knee injury. He did return - but with Nurkic no longer in Phoenix - Mason Plumlee is the only true big this group has if Richards is going to miss any serious amount of time.

Which is why there will be no sympathy for the Lakers in The Valley or anywhere else for that matter. Having Doncic fall into their lap is still hard to fathom, but getting a legit big man to cover the defensive lapses of Doncic and LeBron James would have been even more unfair. Yes they dodged a bullet in not having to take him on, but their roster is clearly imbalanced.

It will be interesting to see how both organizations deal with their lack of size inside. The Lakers at least are under the second apron and so can approach the buyout market to try and fix the issue, which is something the Suns can unfortunately not do. Not that they've had much joy using this avenue as a viable way to get better in recent years. Small victories and all of that.