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Bill joins the Suns
No NBA team has made more earthquake-level trades in the past few months than the Phoenix Suns. First, before the February trade deadline, the team sent Mikal Bridges, Cameron Johnson, Jay Crowder, four unprotected first-round picks and a 2008 first-round pick swap to the Brooklyn Nets in exchange for future Hall of Famer Kevin Durant and guard swingman TJ Warren.
Durant's addition has greatly enhanced the Phoenix Suns' firepower, but it has also hurt the overall depth of the team, which has already made the Suns suffer in the playoffs. Especially against a team with the depth of the Denver Nuggets, the Suns performed poorly, eventually losing 4-2 in the semifinals.
Durant's arrival did not lead to a championship, but the Suns were eliminated in the second round, and the team chose to part ways with head coach Monty Williams and replace him with Frank Vogel. Vogel, who led the Los Angeles Lakers to a championship in 2020, has coached LeBron James and Anthony Davis and has extensive experience in dealing with star player relationships.
Bill
The Phoenix Suns didn't stop there, and the team went on to trade 4 first-round picks for swapping and 6 second-round picks, Landry Shamet and Chris Paul for the Wizards' Bradley Beal, Jordan Goodwin and Isaiah Todd. From the Phoenix Suns' perspective, the move is understandable. They traded future picks and affiliates for one of the league's better scorers and boosted the team's competitiveness. Now, they have a trio of Kevin Durant, Bradley Beal and Devin Booker, arguably one of the top trios in the NBA. However, the move also left the Suns in a difficult position in terms of team depth and financial constraints, especially when it comes to building a full roster, and the Phoenix Suns' management has a lot of work to do.
So far, the Suns have only five players under contract next season: Beal, Booker, Durant, DeAndre Ayton and Cameron Payne. The importance of star players is self-evident, but without a balanced roster, it's hard to make a breakthrough in the regular season or make substantial progress in the playoffs. Suns management has a lot of work to do to fill the sixth to twelfth spots on the roster. How they fill in depth will largely determine the Suns' success next season and beyond.
One possible avenue to boost overall depth is to trade Ayton, who will earn more than $32 million a year in salary over the next three seasons. The team may be able to get some useful players through such a trade, and Ayton has been frequently mentioned in trade rumors over the past few months. However, recent reports suggest that the Suns plan to keep the big man for the time being.
It makes sense that the Suns want to keep Ayton. Despite his disagreements with Williams, he has been a prolific player throughout his career, and they need a center forward who can do the dirty work for their amazing trio and take on Nicolas Jokic and other big men in the West. In addition, Vogel has a lot of experience in building a very good defensive system with big men at its core, and Ayton fits that pattern. Vogel was able to perform at Roy Hibbert's best during his time in Indiana, and the Suns likely hope he can do the same with Ayton.
If Ayton's deal doesn't hold, the Suns will have to fill their depth with a contract with the lowest or near minimum salary. Luckily for Phoenix, players often want to play with star players or join a team that has a chance to compete for a championship. This is especially important for veteran players who are facing the end of their careers. It wouldn't come as a surprise if some seasoned, familiar faces were willing to accept a salary cut to sign with the Suns. The tryout process has begun, and the team plans to try out with Jabari Parker and Stanley Johnson this week. Similar tryouts are likely to continue throughout the summer.
Craig
The Suns will also have the opportunity to renew contracts with existing players who are about to become free agents. This group includes Tory Craig, Bismark Bjömbo, Darius Beazley, Damien Lee, T.J. Warren, Josh Okogie, Jock Randale, Terence Ross, and Seben Lee. Obviously, they can't keep all of these players, but expect at least a few to stay in Phoenix.
It's often said that getting a star player is the hardest part of team building in the NBA, and the Suns have done that now, even three times. However, this does not mean that the work is done. No NBA team in history has ever won a championship with just six players, and Phoenix won't be the first. How the Suns filled their roster after star players will be one of the most compelling stories in Summer League.