Suns must make unpopular step back move at the NBA trade deadline

The Phoenix Suns have been so surprisingly good this season, that they are going to run into a problem next summer. That's because they will suddenly have a number of players who will need to be paid to stick around in The Valley, so soon after escaping the second apron.

Grayson Allen will have to be moved to re-sign others.

Which is why sharpshooter Grayson Allen is going to become the casualty that ensures both Mark Williams and Collin Gillespie remain in Phoenix. Allen might be out with an injury at the moment, but he's been having a career year and so the time to move on from him has probably arrived.

His value will never be higher, while the Suns could hope to get a younger player or a pick or two back for his services. Great going considering he was awful last season once he was dropped to the bench, although he did have ankle issues as well.

What this will do is allow the Suns to offer more money to Williams than they currently can, and they would want to get him extended ASAP. He has been one of the driving forces for the organization this season, and the whole league owes him an apology.

He's currently eligible to be extended at any moment, but you get the sense he is going to continue building his case to be paid like a max player. The Suns did part with a pair of firsts to get him, and as long as he can remain healthy then he should receive a sizeable new deal.

With Gillespie it is more complicated, because he is building a real Sixth Man of the Year case. He's playing on the veteran minimum right now having been on a two-way last season, but if you think he loves Phoenix enough to walk away from a bag elsewhere, think again.

You can make the case his fit is better here than anywhere else in the league, and he could well leave some money on the table to return. But Royce O'Neale is making $11 million this season for example, and there is no reason that Gillespie should expect anything less than that. In truth it should be more.

Tyus Jones backed himself to succeed with the Suns and get paid elsewhere, and that failed. But Gillespie has played his hand perfectly to get a serious pay rise, and both the fans and front office hope that will happen in Phoenix.

Allen then looks like the player who has to leave, taking his salary and roster spot with him, in order to give the franchise the best chance of bringing back a pair of building blocks for the future. It will be a tough decision to make when the time comes.