Do Suns Need to Make Trade?

Many believe Phoenix must make a move to salvage their season.

The Phoenix Suns are nearly halfway into their first season of the Frank Vogel/Big 3 era - it has continued to yield mixed results, much to the spite of Suns fans. 

B/R's Zach Buckley explored how panicked all 30 teams should be to make a trade just a month out from the trade deadline.

The Suns were given a 6 out of 10 in terms of the panic the franchise should feel to make a trade in the coming weeks - and Buckley explained why:

"It's tempting to withhold judgment on the Suns given how few minutes Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal have logged together so far (108 across six contests). Then again, given the injury histories with this trio, this is sort of what Phoenix signed up for, and it might be something the club deals with all season," he wrote.

"In other words, the Suns can't simply hope that all three will be healthy at the most important times. And even if they are, that won't necessarily cure what has ailed this team.

"The shopping list is extensive, as Phoenix could use a defense-first big, a two-way wing and, perhaps most pressing of all, a table-setting point guard. The challenge, of course, is scratching any of those itches with limited assets available."

While the Suns do have all of the needs that Buckley pointed out - it is in fact an extensive list - point guard likely isn't the biggest need for the squad at this point. 

Orlando's Goga Bitadze likely matches the archetype of a backup center Phoenix could very much use. While Nurkic has exceeded expectations for the most part, there needs to be a more athletic rim-protector in place to balance out the big rotation. 

Drew Eubanks was solid for around a month, but his role-specific brand of play and limited ability as a rim-runner made it much easier for opponents to exploit him in games with more film. 

Phoenix needs a Bitadze-style center and potentially a wing in the same vein as Royce O'Neale more than a pass-first point guard, although there are some intriguing options that could become available (Tyus Jones, Delon Wright, etc.)

The Suns are in action once again tomorrow night against the Los Angeles Lakers. The NBA trade deadline is set for February 8.