Suns trade deadline preview: Three non-Jimmy Butler deals that can help Phoenix and won’t break the bank

The Phoenix Suns have the most expensive roster in the NBA, and yet, with a little over half the season gone, they sit just two games over .500, good for just ninth in the Western Conference. Some of the Suns’ current predicament is their own doing; trading for Bradley Beal, in hindsight, was not the greatest decision by this front office, even if, at the time, it was also widely panned.

Beal’s astronomical contract, coupled with the high salaries of Kevin Durant and Devin Booker created a top-heavy roster in Phoenix, one that is a tier below what it should be when you have someone like Durant on your roster. It also placed the Suns above the second tax apron, putting a handicap on what they’re able to accomplish when it comes to trades. Phoenix cannot aggregate salaries in a trade; they can only take 100% or less of the salary they send out and can’t shed cash in a trade.

Those restrictions, coupled with Beal’s no-trade clause, make it difficult for the Suns to pull off any of the major moves it wants with ease, like trading for Jimmy Butler. Phoenix has been the long-reported preferred destination of Butler, who requested a trade from the Heat, but landing him would almost certainly require three, four or five teams to pull it off. And even if the Suns threaded the needle to construct a trade that would get the Heat the return they wanted while getting Phoenix Butler, it would all still require the sign-off of Beal, who would need to be moved in any trade for the Heat star.

And the same goes for any other high-paid star that the Suns may have an interest in, like Zach LaVine in Chicago. Beal would still need to be traded to absorb LaVine’s contract, and it’s already been reported that in order for him to waive his no-trade clause, it would need to be to another winning team, and preferably not in a cold climate, both of which Chicago is not. So again, the Suns run into needing other teams to help facilitate a deal.

With all the difficulties it would take to land an All-Star level player, the Suns would be wise to shift their attention to other deals that could help improve their roster. They aren’t flashy deals that will sell jerseys, but incremental changes can have a lasting impact. With the trade deadline under a week away, here are three non-Butler deals that the Suns could do that could help give them a boost for the rest of the season.

Send Nurkic to the Bulls for a young forward

Something that got lost in the shuffle when news broke that the Suns were moving Beal to the bench was the fact that Jusuf Nurkic also got demoted from his starting spot in the process. He’s averaging the fewest points of his career since his second season in the league, is a defensive liability in pick-and-roll situations, and hasn’t provided much in the way of rim protection.

Nurkic got pushed to the bench, and then the Suns traded for 7-footer Nick Richards to be their starting center which pushed Nurkic further down the depth chart. Couple that with the perceived tension between him and coach Mike Budenholzer after Nurkic said he hasn’t spoken to Budenholzer in two months and doesn’t have much of a relationship with him, it seems as though a divorce between the two sides is inevitable. 

The Suns have been shopping Nurkic around and reportedly wanted to send him to Charlotte as part of the Richards deal. However, the Hornets were unwilling to take him, likely because he’s owed $37.5 million between this year and next. But that doesn’t mean trading him isn’t possible. That’s where the Bulls come in.

Chicago’s been shopping virtually everyone on its roster — excluding rookie Matas Buzelis — and taking one look at the Bulls cap sheet, and there’s a perfect candidate for the Suns to swap with Nurkic.

Patrick Williams, a fifth-year forward who was the fourth overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft could fill out Phoenix’s power forward rotation. He just got moved to the bench in Chicago, and though he hasn’t displayed the talent that the Bulls had hoped for someone drafted so high, he can be a valuable rotation player coming off the bench for the Suns. 

Williams is a versatile defender who can guard bigger wings and smaller big men, and is a career 39.7% 3-point shooter. Expectations won’t be as high in Phoenix as they are in Chicago, and as long as he’s able to defend at a high level and knock down a couple of 3s, there’s a ton of upside here for the Suns. Phoenix would need to attach a first-round pick for the Bulls to want to do this, but with the limited moves the Suns can make, this may be worth considering giving up one of those draft picks they got from the Jazz.

Swap Nurkic for a proven shooter from the Hawks

Here’s another Nurkic deal that may already have some traction. The Arizona Republic’s Duane Rankin is reporting that the Suns and Hawks have discussed a deal to send Nurkic to Atlanta. The easiest way to make that happen would be sending Bogdan Bogdanovic to the Suns. He is making $17.26 million this season, is owed $16 million next year and has a team option for the 2026-27 season. 

That deal works straight up, but given the Suns would be getting the better end of the trade here, they’d likely have to attach a first-round pick to entice Atlanta to take him on.

Bogdanovic would bolster a Suns roster that already ranks sixth in 3-point percentage, as he’s a career 38% 3-point shooter. He’s struggling heavily this season, shooting just around 30% from deep, but he’s been hampered by a knee injury all season, so he’s been limited to just 24 games. 

The hope for the Suns is that a change of scenery would help Bogdanovic regain his shooting touch. If that happens, and if Phoenix can’t trade Beal for someone like Butler, the Suns would have a lethal one-two punch in Beal and Bogdanovic off the bench.

Add more versatility by doing a deal with the Pacers

In a similar move to the proposed Bulls deal, the Suns could look to the Pacers to get Obi Toppin, who would fill out Phoenix’s power forward rotation. In his scenario, this would be in exchange for Grayson Allen, who has fallen down Phoenix’s depth chart. Allen started in all but one game a season ago but was moved to the bench once the Suns got Tyus Jones to run point guard, which moved Devin Booker back to his natural position of shooting guard. 

Although Allen has averaged nearly 10 fewer minutes this season, he’s still among the best 3-point shooters, making his shots at a 43.1% clip. However, Beal’s move to the bench pushes him further down the depth chart, and if the Suns don’t move Beal before the deadline, Allen’s role will continue to diminish. 

Swapping Allen for Toppin would address a more pressing need for depth behind Durant, and the Pacers would benefit from another shooter of Allen’s caliber. Toppin’s athleticism and size would be a welcome addition to Phoenix’s bench, and while he hasn’t been known as a good defender over his career, as of late, he’s locked in on that end of the floor and made important plays that have helped spark Indiana’s sudden surge in the standings. Trading Allen for Toppin works as an even trade financially, so nothing else would need to be attached.

None of these deals are the home-run move that the Suns are clearly looking for, but if the last few weeks have shown us anything it’s that Phoenix isn’t equipped to easily pull off a deal like that. Butler could still be Plan A, though there are valid concerns about even pursuing a 35-year-old veteran with a noted injury history. But these smaller deals can help the Suns on the margins without sacrificing a ton of important assets.