The Phoenix Suns pulled off a deadline-day trade with the Milwaukee Bucks, sending Nick Richards and Nigel Hayes-Davis to Milwaukee (Richards was subsequently sent to the Chicago Bulls as the deal reportedly expanded to a three-team trade) in exchange for Cole Anthony and Amir Coffey.
The move, rooted in the Suns’ financial stake of getting under a luxury tax threshold, likely doesn’t move the needle much for the current roster. Nevertheless, a specific non-trade is what should really help Phoenix the rest of the way.
After weeks of speculation that the Bucks could opt to move on from two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported Feb. 5 that Milwaukee will opt to keep him through the deadline.
In effect, an MVP-caliber reinforcement will not be on his way to Western Conference teams like the Minnesota Timberwolves, Los Angeles Lakers or Golden State Warriors — three squads with reported interest and various rumors tying them to Giannis.
That’s good news for the Suns, who won’t have to contend with yet another superstar out west for the stretch run of the regular season and into the playoffs.
That’s especially true given that the Suns are tied in the standings with the Lakers, trailing Minnesota and just ahead of Golden State entering games on deadline day.
All three of those squads are in direct competition with Phoenix for end-of-season playoff seeding, so the fact that they won’t be bringing in one of the league’s best players to bolster their roster provides a sigh of relief for Suns fans.
Suns were also tied to Giannis trade rumors
While the aforementioned Western Conference playoff contenders were much more closely tied to Antetokounmpo when he was reportedly on the trade block, the Suns were also in the mix — for a short time.
As was the case with any blockbuster trade speculation involving Phoenix, Jalen Green — the key piece coming back in last summer’s Kevin Durant trade — was tabbed to headline any trade package for the “Greek Freak.”
Brett Siegal, NBA reporter for ClutchPoints, shot down those Bucks rumors on Jan. 7 by tweeting “the Suns have made it clear Green is not available.”
The Suns apparently learned a lesson after making blockbuster trades to acquire both Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal in recent years, handicapping their salary cap flexibility while making the roster too top-heavy.
Of course, the Suns likely didn’t have enough draft capital to make a competitive offer for Antetokounmpo even if Green was included in the framework, so there’s that.
In any case, Giannis remains with the Bucks while the Suns move forward with the roster that’s exceeded all preseason expectations while building a culture and team chemistry in the process.
That no other Western Conference team was able to entice Milwaukee to let Giannis go is good news for Phoenix.