The Phoenix Suns are barely into their second season with both Jordan Goodwin and Jamaree Bouyea on the roster, and already those two guards could be the kind of names another team starts circling. The Orlando Magic, after the troubling-looking injury to Jalen Suggs, suddenly look like a club that could use exactly that sort of help.
Orlando hired a new head coach, Sean Sweeney, this summer and is trying to compete in the Eastern Conference right now. That puts the pressure on the Magic to find a point guard who can defend, steady the group, and bring some veteran presence.
With Suggs likely sidelined for a while, cost matters too. The cheaper option becomes the more appealing one.
Goodwin fits that profile best. He signed a three-year, $19 million deal this offseason, and even with a slow start, he still carries more value to Phoenix than he would to most other teams.
He matters to the Suns’ second unit, but he also represents the kind of movable piece a front office can turn into something down the road. Phoenix needs future assets as well, especially after giving away what little it had left in the trade for Miles Bridges.
That’s the kind of roster-building move that can pay off when another team gets desperate. If a rival is willing to pay for stability, the Suns can cash in on players signed to team-friendly deals before they become someone else’s solution. And if Goodwin is too important to The Valley right now, Bouyea gives them another possible path.
Bouyea is a step below Goodwin on defense, but there’s a case to be made that he can score more effectively. He is making just over $1 million this season, which would bring back less in a trade, but he is also set to hit the open market next summer. Moving him now for a second-round pick or a younger player would make sense as well.
The Magic are not the only team that could come calling. Collin Gillespie could draw interest, and Dillon Brooks could be viewed as the missing piece for another roster. Bridges looks like the one player on the Suns who probably is not going anywhere, thanks to his looming extension and rough start to the season.
A week into the regular season, injuries are already forcing teams to rethink things. Phoenix, for its part, has quietly built a roster with several players who could interest other clubs, and that could give the Suns a chance to bring back assets for the future.
In Other News...
Shawn Marion Just Reopened A Hall Of Fame Debate In Phoenix
Shawn Marions return to the Suns building before the home opener against the Golden State Warriors served as a reminder of how much his career still resonates in Phoenix. Honored in front of the home crowd, Marion looked back on the defensive identity that made him such a unique force in the NBA, while also reflecting on how different eras shape the way players are remembered. He spoke with clear appreciation for the franchises history and the former Suns who helped define it.
Marion also touched on the Hall of Fame conversation that continues to follow him, and he didnt shy away from the idea that league politics can shape that process. For a player whose value was never always captured by the usual stat-line conversation, the timing of his comments only sharpened the debate around his place in basketball history. In Phoenix, where he remains one of the most memorable figures of that era, the conversation is hardly going away. [Read more 🡒]
Suns Starters Have An Early Problem The Bench Isn't Showing
The early returns have left Phoenix with an unusual twist: the starting group is still trying to sort out its chemistry, even as the season gets going. New pieces have changed the mix, and the Suns have already felt the effects on both ends of the floor, where communication and coordination are still works in progress. It is the kind of issue that can take time to smooth out, especially when roles are still being defined.
Devin Booker pointed to the second unit as the steadier group right now, with the bench showing a better grasp of responsibilities and a clearer sense of how to play together. For the Suns, that creates an interesting imbalance. The unit that most teams count on to set the tone is still searching for its rhythm, while the group behind it looks more settled, and the fix may simply come down to more practice and more time together. [Read more 🡒]
Suns Already Have One Painful Miles Bridges Trade Problem
The Suns knew they were making a difficult choice when they sent Grayson Allen and Royce ONeale to Charlotte in the deal tied to Miles Bridges and a future first-round pick. The move fit Phoenixs salary realities and its need to reshape the roster, but early returns have only sharpened the scrutiny because both outgoing veterans have slid into useful roles for the Hornets right away.
Allen, in particular, has given Charlotte a burst of shooting and scoring that Phoenix has to notice, even in a small sample. With Bridges now angling for a contract extension, the trade is already looking like the kind of transaction that could hang around the Suns for a while, especially if the players they moved keep helping the Hornets win. [Read more 🡒]