There is no doubt that the Phoenix Suns' most valuable trade asset as we head into the 2025-26 regular season is Jalen Green. The 23-year-old former Houston Rocket fresh off his first postseason appearance, and one in which he hung 38 points on the Golden State Warriors during their opening round series.
The only problem with Green being in this position for the Suns is that his current value still does not make him worth moving on from. That's because for all of his offensive talents, he still has his flaws and rivals know the fit next to Devin Booker is clunky. He looks likely to remain in Phoenix at least to begin the season, but that hasn't stopped other outlets trying to find a new home for Green.
Bleacher Report's mock trade sends Green up north to Toronto.
We've hit the quietest part of the offseason ahead of training camps opening up, so it would make sense that people would try and send Green anywhere that even kind of makes sense. If you're the Toronto Raptors - a team that doesn't appear to be going anywhere - then the below idea from Bleacher Report's Zach Buckley makes a lot of sense.
Talk about uninspired. Why would the Suns gift the Raptors a guy who has All-Star level offensive upside to pair with Brandon Ingram and Scottie Barnes, and bail them out of the purgatory they have signed themselves up for? The Suns might have the worst future in the entire league, but the boring mediocrity of the Raptors isn't far behind.
About the only positives of this deal you could talk yourself into in Phoenix is the fit of both R.J. Barrett and Ochai Agbaji with their roster. Dillon Brooks is going to be the best perimeter defender that this group has, while a healthy Mark Williams will make the Suns difficult to score against in the paint.
But that pair from Toronto have some nice two-way potential, while they would also make Royce O'Neale surplus to requirements. We've already found a new home for him, and it would strengthen the roster at the center position as well. Both Barrett and Agbaji are also only 25-years-old, and would make the Suns an even better group defensively.
The fit next to Booker is obviously a lot cleaner too, and this is something the Suns simply have to always consider moving forward. Really though they are better off holding on Green until he's had a chance to show what he can do, and try and flip him down the line for a better package than this. The franchise didn't move into a rebuild to enter trades such as this one.