Lakers News: Pacific Division Rival Upgrades Themselves In Damian Lillard Trade

Don't sleep on this club...

After news broke that the All-Star point guard was being traded to the Milwaukee Bucks, it came out that the Phoenix Suns were included in the deal as well. This massive three-team trade saw some very talented players switch places and saw an end to the summer's biggest question in the NBA.

Phoenix traded center Deandre Ayton and rookie Toumanu Camara, and in exchange, they acquired center Jusuf Nurkic, forward Nassir Little, guard Keon Johnson and guard Grayson Allen. It was a strange move for the Suns, because, on the surface, it seems that they downgraded from Ayton to Nurkic.

But if you look a little deeper, this trade may benefit the Suns in the long run, and that should worry the Lakers. Phoenix was one of the few teams that many see as a title contender for this coming season, and now they have addressed the one issue people had with their roster, depth.

Last season, Ayton averaged 18 points and 10 rebounds per game while Nurkic averaged 13.3 points and 9.1 rebounds per game. But Nurkic brings the element of floor spacing into play for Phoenix now, as he shot 36.1 percent from deep last season compared to Ayton, who shot only 29.2 percent.

But it’s the other players that Phoenix got back that people seem to be overlooking. Allen is a hard-nosed defender, who can get up into the skin of opponents. He averaged 10.4 points per game, and he finished the year shooting over 39 percent from three-point land for the fourth straight season. He is going to be a major player for this Suns team, and one that new head coach Frank Vogel loves.

Like Allen, Little is a very good three-point shooter, who shot 36.7 percent from deep last season. In rotation minutes, he could be very solid for Phoenix. And finally, Johnson also shot well from beyond the arch, finishing last season at 34.6 percent. Notice a theme here?

Phoenix seems to be planning to space the floor at all times with shooters to surround their three-headed monster of Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal. Their biggest issue was depth, but now Phoenix’s roster looks that much better after this deal.

Phoenix flipped a player that they didn’t want to begin with for a serviceable center, and solid depth pieces that can be used later on in a trade if they choose. If you recall. Ayton signed an offer sheet with the Indiana Pacers last offseason, and the Suns were forced to match it so they didn’t lose their former first-overall pick for nothing.

It then got weird between both sides, and it always felt last year like neither one of them wanted to be together. Ayton also didn’t do himself any favors by struggling in the postseason, so the Suns decided to move off of him now. And while Ayton is the better overall player, there isn’t that much of a difference between the two for this team since both would be the fourth option at best.

While this trade for the Suns wasn’t the headliner, it could end up being a major piece to how the season shakes out. Both the Lakers and Suns have good depth, and their battles this year will be must-see TV.

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