If there is one player at risk of getting lost in the roster shuffle that has taken place with the Phoenix Suns this offseason, it is second year forward Oso Ighodaro. He might have packed on some muscle during the summer - while also attempting to take on more responsibility at Summer League - but his place in the rotation in Phoenix is far from guaranteed.
Not because he doesn't have the talent to succeed - he is guaranteed to be part of the team's rotation for next season - but because of where the franchise is right now as they re-tool around Devin Booker, as well as some of the other players on this roster. That combination could make him an ideal buy-low candidate for a rival, a tactic the Suns themselves should be employing this summer.
Suns need to be wary of Boston Celtics sniffing around Ighodaro.
The Boston Celtics might not seem like a threat of any kind to the Suns right now, but they are actually among the most dangerous trade partners in the league. Much like the Golden State Warriors before them - who ended up winning a championship after the fact - the Celtics enter the 2025-26 season knowing they're not going anywhere as a result of injury to Jayson Tatum.
So they can use this campaign to tank for a high draft pick to extend a window that has already led to a title, while also taking a flyer on younger players with upside to see if they can turn into anything. Not only does Ighodaro fit this bill, the Suns themselves are also in position to listen to offers for players if it means getting younger guys or some draft picks back themselves.
Ryan Dunn was asked if he was scoffing at Oso Ighodaro's weight gain: "Yeah, he ain't put on no 20 pounds!...Nah, he looks different."
— Gerald Bourguet (@GeraldBourguet) July 8, 2025
Dunn also said he's put on 10-12 pounds: "You know, I've put a little on!" pic.twitter.com/pYbqnblJLQ
Complicating the picture further is the fact that the Suns have a relatively crowded front court, and Ighodaro may struggle for consistent game time this coming season. They have rookie center Khaman Maluach - who as as lottery pick is going to be given plenty of time to impress - while they also traded for fellow big man Mark Williams.
Behind both of those is Nick Richards - and although the Suns would surely like to move on from him - to this point they've struggled to find a trade partner. Which could leave them stuck with him into next season, but he remains too good to simply not use. Moving onto the forwards as Ryan Dunn - himself a sophomore - is the forward with higher defensive upside who was a first round pick.
Contrast that with Ighodaro, who was taken in the second round and so could likely be gotten at the right price. The Suns need to proceed with caution though, they have been burnt badly by giving up on a second rounder too soon in recent times. The danger here being that if the Suns did end up sending Ighodaro to Boston, he could really pop next to Tatum and Jaylen Brown.
There is currently zero indication that this is going to happen, but the Celtics are the kind of franchise you have to be wary about dealing with in their current state. The Suns' own front office hasn't exactly hit home run after home run in recent years either, and General Manager Brian Gregory is still new in the role. The Celtics could force the Suns to have an Ighodaro conversation sooner than expected.