The Suns trade plans are quietly waiting on one internal reveal

The Phoenix Suns will have a tough decision to make in the coming weeks, and it will involve how active they want to be in the trade market. There is no doubt that the group they have currently is both a lot of fun to watch and fits together really well. But looking at the bigger picture, and the Suns are trying to re-tool as quickly as possible to contend around Devin Booker again.

Trade activity hinges on play of Grayson Allen.

Between now and the trade deadline, what the Suns decide to do will depend on the continued excellent play of Grayson Allen. Despite leading the NBA in 3-point shooting percentage in his first season in The Valley, year three to this point has been his best. He's still knocking down shots from deep at an elite rate, while he's also excelling on head coach Jordan Ott's defensive schemes.

The decision to start both Allen and Royce O'Neale when they are healthy looked the wrong one initially, given the size the duo can give up against certain opponents. Neither has ever been known as an elite defender either, yet this approach has worked wonders for the Suns and led them to a surprising 9-6 record.

They currently sit 11th in defensive rating (112.6), while offensively they have been ramping up under coach Ott as well. Allen has played an important part in this development, once again elevating his game in the absence of a more talked about scorer in Jalen Green. He can be the second facilitator when required alongside Booker, while his 18.5 points is easily a career high.

Which is where the organization faces an impending dilemma. As important as Allen is to the Suns right now, his trade value has also never been higher. He's got multiple years left on a team friendly deal, and at this point you could see the Suns getting a younger player with more upside back for his services. A first round pick? Hard to say, but with the way Allen is playing not impossible.

Failure to take advantage of this purple patch could see the franchise once again stuck with the player Allen was last season. One who struggled with ankle injuries, and did not do well coming off the bench when Tyus Jones was in town. He's not that good that you reshape your roster around him, but he remains one of the better role players in the league, particularly for contending teams.

Which the Suns currently are not, which is why the Allen question is such an important one. This is an unexpected opportunity to land something of real value for the future in return for his services. What that will be and if Phoenix should even ultimately make the deal are much tougher questions to answer, and they will define the season in The Valley.