Breaking: Suns sign player for $118 million before deadline.

Bobby Marks of ESPN analyzes the Phoenix Suns and offers his trade guide from the Suns’ perspective.

The trade deadline for the NBA in 2024 is this Thursday, February 8.

One significant transaction has already occurred, including Pascal Siakam’s trade to the Indiana Pacers. As clubs try to shuffle their rosters in preparation for the stretch run, expect to see a lot of movement.

You could wonder where the Suns fit into all of that. Both of our guesses are valid. We can give you details about Phoenix’s assets and what they are and aren’t permitted to do.

“Patience is the best trade asset Phoenix has,” Bobby Marks declared at the opening of his section. This relates to them realizing their core is strong and not overreacting to the injuries or delayed start. Their basis is solid and health-permitting, albeit that is still a large “if.”

How can they make the most of the nearby roster spots? How can they position themselves to win in the postseason? In order to increase the margins, the Suns’ front staff will need to answer these queries.

Phoenix can sign players for less than 110% of their pay because they are a second-apron team. This season, they are able to transfer $1.3 million in cash and are permitted to aggregate contracts.

Marks: “Since Phoenix is a second-tier team, they won’t be able to use that ($1.3 million) once the offseason begins in April. So you might as well use it now.”

In addition, the Suns have four trade exceptions that are limited to use this season or they will be forfeited. They must act immediately because they will not be able to transmit money or aggregate contracts once the offseason arrives.

They cannot deal their 2024 first-round selection in advance, but they are permitted to move it on draft night.

The Resources
The Suns have a lot of players with big contracts; Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, and Bradley Beal together make over $130 million a year.

Jusuf Nurkic, Grayson Allen, and Nassir Little come next, with earnings ranging from $6.2 million to $16.9 million.

According to John Gambodoro, the Suns are interested in re-signing Grayson Allen this offseason and do not anticipate him being traded.

From a contract standpoint, Nassir Little is the most valuable trade chip, costing $6.2 million. His youth still works in his favor, and he has a cheap contract that will last for a few years.

Royce O’Neale of the Brooklyn Nets is one player that Marks names as a potential target for Phoenix. He has Phoenix trading Nassir Little, Keita Bates-Diop, and three second-round selections to the Nets in exchange for O’Neale in his fictitious proposal.

The Suns are in serious need of adding a strong forward who can defend numerous positions and make threes. Even while it might not be Royce O’Neale specifically, it makes perfect sense to have someone in his style.