Evaluating Suns Trade Targets

The Suns could target these three players.

Apr 9, 2024; Chicago, Illinois, USA; New York Knicks guard Donte DiVincenzo (0) defends Chicago Bulls guard Jevon Carter (5) during the first quarter at United Center. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-Imagn Images / David Banks-Imagn Images

PHOENIX -- We are now just over two weeks out from the regular season debut of the 2024-25 Phoenix Suns - and the preseason victory over the Los Angeles Lakers last night only enhanced the anticipation for the first "meaningful" games to arrive.

While the Suns' roster currently stands at 14 members with one more standard NBA contract, there have been moves that have been made with potential future trades in mind - including the 2-year, $16 million dollar deal wing Josh Okogie signed this summer.

While a trade might never materialize, it's always interesting to explore what teams can hypothetically do to improve.

Grant Hughes of Bleacher Report did a preseason revisiting of three realistic trade options for all 30 teams - including the Suns - and these three names have been floated around for quite some time.

1. Duop Reath, Portland Trail Blazers

Hughes: "On a minimum salary and surrounded by a gaggle of other centers—Donovan Clingan, Robert Williams III and Deandre Ayton—Reath could be gettable even for the highly inflexible Suns. His shooting at the center spot would juice the offense and clear out the middle of the floor for Devin Booker and Kevin Durant to do some mid-range cooking."

2. Kelly Olynyk, Toronto Raptors

Hughes: "The Suns can't aggregate salaries and can't take back more cash than they send out in a trade, so almost all of their targets will cost them someone they don't want to deal or require a handful of precursor moves to gain flexibility.

"Olynyk is a good example. His floor-stretching shooting and underrated passing from a big-man spot would add a dimension the Suns don't currently have, but adding his $12.8 million salary would mean giving up either Grayson Allen ($15.6 million) or Jusuf Nurkić ($18.1 million). Both are more valuable to Phoenix than Olynyk would be."

3. Jevon Carter, Chicago Bulls

Hughes: "The 2022-23 version of Carter would have been ideal for the Suns. In 81 games with the Bucks that year, the veteran point guard shot 42.1 percent and contributed with his usual tenacity on defense. With the Bulls last season, Carter's shooting slipped to 32.9 percent and his role shrunk from 22.3 minutes to 13.9 minutes per game—despite going from a contender to a lottery team.

"If 2023-24 was a blip, the Suns could do worse than adding an excellent backcourt defender whose shooting would make for a strong off-ball fit next to their stars."

Our Take

Reath did enjoy a relatively quality debut season in the NBA at 27, and could bring some much-needed floor spacing to the table for Phoenix.

However, it feels as if the big man rotation is already crowded - especially if rookie Oso Ighodaro is ready to contribute from day 1. If Jusuf Nurkic can reinvent himself as stretch-5, it virtually eliminates the need for Reath altogether - despite the potential reasonable cost and upside he could bring to the table.

Olynyk has been a trade candidate of interest among the Suns community for some time, as his floor-spacing ability and hard-nosed playstyle could be quite useful to the team.

In the end, Hughes does bring up a more than valid point that the potential matching salaries would be more valuable than what Olynyk would provide.

Carter would be an idea fit as a tenacious on-ball defender and stationary shooter that has familiarity with Mike Budnholzer. The price for him would presumably be reasonable - and he could add to the already seemingly impressive roster depth that James Jones has put together.

The downside would be that it already appears as if the backcourt is crowded - and rotational minutes would be difficult to come by - but Carter would add a unique angle that would give Budenholzer the option to ditch the more "traditional" floor generals if the matchup dictated it.