Teams around the league are preparing to make blockbuster trade offers for Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo, but the Suns know all too well how poorly that decision can go.
After performing a similar huge trade for Kevin Durant two years ago, the Suns are still regretting the aftermaths of that transaction. They are actually playing better now without Durant, showing that sacrificing depth for a superstar talent isn't always the way to go.
The Suns should be a cautionary tale for the league.
In one of the league's biggest surprises this season, the Suns have started 13-10 to establish themselves in the West playoff picture.
They've actually improved by replacing Durant with depth pieces and playing strong defense. It's a return to their roots which led to success before Durant, but were thrown out in that initial huge trade.
When they traded for Durant, the Suns sent out two young forwards in Mikal Bridges and Cameron Johnson in addition to multiple first-round draft picks.
Bridges and Johnson had played key roles on the 2021 team that went to the Finals, but were sacrificed for the hope of a superstar. The Suns hoped that adding Durant to the remainder of their core would elevate them to a title, but it never even led to a playoff series win.
Durant's time in Phoenix was marked with poor team defense, a lack of depth, and frequent injuries. Other teams should be wary of the same concerns when it comes to a potential Giannis trade.
Since beating the Suns in the 2021 Finals, Giannis and the Bucks have struggled to find playoff success as injuries have affected him and the team's defense has fallen off.
But Giannis is still universally regarded as a top 5 player in the league and arguably the best two-way player when healthy. He's put up a dominant statline of about 30 points, 10 rebounds and 7 assists per game for the last 3 seasons on top of being a good rim protector.
He can single-handedly prop up a team on both ends, but it's impossible for a single player to carry a team to a title in today's NBA.
Any team that trades away a huge chunk of their depth chart could run into the same problems as the Suns. With the current state of the league, a team with deep playoff ambitions needs to have solid depth in addition to some key stars.
Trading away one of those key elements for Giannis in addition to a boatload of draft picks can have a team regretting their decision in the short and long term. At least it won't be the Suns making that mistake this time.