Suns trade deadline fate is already painfully obvious after turbulent offseason

The 2025 offseason will forever go down as the one in which the Phoenix Suns committed to a longer-term vision for the franchise. One which involves building around Devin Booker, with the two-year, $145 million extension they brandished to him designed to keep him onside through this process.

There's a lot of losing in the near future for this team, but the organization at least no longer has either Jusuf Nurkic or Bradley Beal in Phoenix. Beal will still be getting paid by the team for the next five seasons and that surely hurts - but with a trio of rookies in the door - it is clear owner Mat Ishbia is now investing in youth to try and improve.

Suns can only be sellers at trade deadline next season.

So while the future is undoubtedly brighter in the long-term - although still worryingly lacking in draft picks moving forward, including in 2026 - in the short-term the Suns have to be sellers. The Western Conference is simply too loaded to try and do anything serious around Booker while their roster looks the way it does, so sending players out to contenders is the most likely outcome here.

Both Royce O'Neale and Grayson Allen fit the bill here, with another team sure to come calling for both once the deadline nears. The cost for both won't be huge either, there's a reason the Golden State Warriors reportedly turned down a package for Jonathan Kuminga that had Allen as the main player they were getting back. Warriors fans weren't too hot on that idea either.

But what being sellers can do is set the franchise up a lot better beyond 2026. The Suns could realistically get a first round pick for Allen - particularly if the buyer is desperate and feels they're one shooter short of true contention - while O'Neale could fetch them a pair of seconds. Something like what the Orlando Magic once did in moving on from Evan Fournier.

The true value of Nick Richards isn't known, and as the third center in Phoenix it's not like he's going to have many offers for his services. But he's a decent big man who can plug a hole for a playoff roster if injury strikes elsewhere, which it always does. So while Booker might want this franchise to be aggressive in going after players next season, that is not going to happen.

More likely is both Jalen Green and Dillon Brooks also being moved on, but only because they can fetch a lot more than Allen, O'Neale or Richards. That is unless Brooks becomes the heart of this franchise - which we think could happen - and so has to be paired with Booker. The 2026 trade deadline though? It only ends with the Suns as sellers, as it should be.