The Phoenix Suns entered the 2021-22 NBA season with the goal of fully dominating the Western Conference and winning the NBA championship title. As of now, the Suns continue to prove that their last season’s appearance in the NBA Finals wasn’t a fluke. After their 118-98 victory over the Washington Wizards, they are now tied with the Golden State Warriors in the No. 1 spot in the Western Conference with a 23-5 record.
However, despite their current standings, the Suns are still expected to be active on the market before the 2022 NBA trade deadline.
Potential Trade Targets For Suns
It wouldn’t be a surprise if the Suns are still not contented with their current roster. Being the best team during the regular season doesn’t give them any guarantee that they could easily dominate in the playoffs. As of now, they should grab all the available help that they could get to strengthen their chances of capturing the Larry O’Brien Trophy this season.
In the past weeks, the Suns have already been linked to several big names who are rumored to be available on the trading block. These include Domantas Sabonis and Caris LeVert of the Indiana Pacers and Thaddeus Young of the San Antonio Spurs.
Suns Add Floor-Spacing Big Man
Sabonis started to be linked to the Suns after reports spread that he wants out of the rebuilding Pacers. According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, the Suns have "shown interest in recent years" in Sabonis. Though they currently have DeAndre Ayton manning the starting center position, trading for Sabonis would still make a lot of sense for the Suns.
Unlike Ayton, Sabonis is capable of spacing the floor and flexible enough to play as a power forward or a center. To acquire Sabonis, Collin Helwig of Fansided’s Valley of the Suns suggested that the Suns could offer the Pacers a trade package that includes Jalen Smith, Abdel Nader, Dario Saric, and a 2023 first-round pick.
Caris LeVert Temporarily Fills Devin Booker's Spot
LeVert would be another intriguing target for the Suns before the 2022 NBA trade deadline. If they would need to choose between him and Sabonis, it would make more sense for the Suns to trade for LeVert, especially now that Devin Booker is still sidelined with a hamstring injury. While Booker is recovering, LeVert could temporarily fill the hole that he left at the starting shooting guard position.
LeVert would give the Suns another very reliable scorer, a great on-court facilitator, and a decent perimeter defender.
Suns Obtain A Veteran Frontcourt Reinforcement
Of all the three potential trade deadline targets for the Suns, Young could provide the least impact. Unlike Sabonis and LeVert, Young is already on the downside of his NBA career and has shown a decline in his game. However, there are also some benefits from targeting Young over Sabonis and LeVert.
Young doesn’t only have more experience, but he’s also expected to be a cheaper target for the Suns. A trade package centered on Jalen Smith is expected to be enough to convince the Spurs to send Young to Phoenix this season.
]]>The Inquisitr
